Mass Movement

• Mass Movement

  Downhill movement of material under the influence of gravity.
• Factors that cause mass movement

  Types of erosion, soft rock (water more likely to get through the cracks), natural disasters, steepness, weather (oversaturated soil)
• Soil Creep


  Slow, gradual movement of soil or rock downhill due to freeze-thaw cycles, expansions and contraction, or the growth of vegetation
• Slumping

  Mass movement that's characterised by the down hard movement of a mass of rock or soil along a curved surface.
• Mudflows

  Movement of water-saturated soil or lose debris down a slope, resembles flowing mud. Heavy rain causes large quantities of finer material to flow downhill. Soil becomes saturated.
• Runoff

  Waterflows over a surface it can move fine material downslope. This happens where overland flows occur as thin, continuous layers.
• Landslides


  Thin layer of loose soil, rock and debris. Separate from the underlying bedrock and moves rapidly downhill, occurs on cliffs made from soft rock.
• Rockfall


  A sudden and rapid descent of individual rock fragments or blocks from a cliff or steep slopes. Occurs from cliffs that are undercut by the sea or on slopes.