MASS MOVEMENTS

-also called mas wasting, is a phenomenon caused by the gravity tugging constantly
downward on every mass of material everywhere on earth.
-These movements can be slow, subtle, almost undetectable on a day-to-day basis but
cumulatively large over days or years. Or the movement can be sudden, swift, and devastating,
as in a rockslide or avalanche.
-Landslide is a general term for the results of rapid mass movements.

FACTORS INFLUENCING SLOPE STABILITY

Effects of Slope and Materials

- The steeper the slope, the greater the shearing stress and therefore the greater the
likelihood of slope failure. For dry, unconsolidated material, the angle of repose is the
maximum slope angle at which the material is Stable. This angle varies with the material.
- Smooth, rounded particles tend to support only very low-angle slopes (imagine trying to
make a heap of marbles or ball bearings), while rough, sticky, or irregular particles can be
piled more steeply without becoming unstable.
- Other properties being equal, coarse fragments can usually maintain a steeper slope angle
than fine ones. The tendency of a given material to assume a constant characteristic slope
can be seen in such diverse geologic forms as cinder cones and sand dunes.

Effects of slope geometry on slide potential. The mass of the block and thus, the total downward
pull of gravity is the same in both cases, but the steeper the slope, the greater the shearing stress
component. An increase in pore pressure can decrease frictional resistance to shearing stress.
Effects of Fluid

- Addition of some moisture to dry soils may increase adhesion, helping the particles to
stick together (it takes damp sand to make a sand castle). However, saturation of
unconsolidated materials reduces the friction between particles that otherwise provides
cohesion and strength, and the reduced friction can destabilize a slope.
- Elevated pore-fluid pressure can trigger earthquakes by facilitating slip in faulted rocks
under tectonic stress. It is also effective in promoting sliding in rocks under stress due to
gravity, reducing the force holding the rock to the plane below (vector perpendicular to
slope).
- The very mass of water in saturated soil adds extra weight, and thus extra downward pull.
- Aside from its role in erosion, water can greatly increase the likelihood of mass
movements in other ways. It can seep along bedding planes in layered rock, reducing
friction and making sliding more likely.
- The expansion and contraction of water freezing and thawing in cracks in rocks or in soil
can act as a wedge to drive chunks of material apart (frost wedging).

Depiction of dry, moist, and saturated sand