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Good Samaritan School

Class- IX
 Landslides, also known as landslips, are several forms of mass
wasting that may include a wide range of ground movements,
such as rockfalls, deep-seated slope failures, mudflows,
and debris flows. Landslides occur in a variety of environments,
characterized by either steep or gentle slope gradients,
from mountain ranges to coastal cliffs or even underwater, in
which case they are called submarine landslides.
 saturation by rainwater infiltration, snow melting,
or glaciers melting.
 rising of groundwater or increase of pore water pressure (e.g. due
to aquifer recharge in rainy seasons, or by rain water infiltration).
 increase of hydrostatic pressure in cracks and fractures.
 loss or absence of vertical vegetative structure, soil nutrients,
and soil structure (e.g. after a wildfire – a fire in forests lasting for
3–4 days);
 erosion of the top of a slope by rivers or sea waves.
 physical and chemical weathering (e.g., by repeated freezing and
thawing, heating, and cooling, salt leaking in the groundwater or
mineral dissolution).
 ground shaking caused by earthquakes, which can destabilize the
slope directly (e.g., by inducing soil liquefaction) or weaken the
material and cause cracks that will eventually produce a landslide;
 volcanic eruptions.

Landslides are also caused by Human Activities:

 deforestation, cultivation and construction.
 vibrations from machinery or traffic.
 blasting and mining.
 earthwork (e.g., by altering the shape of a slope, or imposing new
loads).
 in shallow soils, the removal of deep-rooted vegetation that
binds colluvium to bedrock.
 agricultural or forestry activities (logging), and urbanization, which
change the amount of water infiltrating the soil.

 India has the highest mountain chain on earth, the Himalayas,

which are formed due to collision of Indian and Eurasian plate, the
northward movement of the Indian plate towards China causes
continuous stress on the rocks rendering them friable, weak, and
prone to landslides and earthquakes
 The North-eastern region is badly affected by landslide problems
of a bewildering variety. Landslides in the Darjeeling district of
West Bengal as also those in Sikkim, Mizoram, Tripura, Meghalaya,
Assam, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh pose chronic problems,
causing recurring economic losses worth billions of rupees. A
different variety of landslides, characterized by a lateritic cap,
pose constant threat to the Western Ghats in the South, along the
steep slopes overlooking the Konkan coast besides Nilgiris, which
is highly landslide prone.

 Landslides that occur undersea, or have impact into water e.g.,

significant rockfall or volcanic collapse into the sea, can
generate tsunamis. Massive landslides can also generate mega
tsunamis, which are usually hundreds of meters high. In 1958, one
such tsunami occurred in Lituya Bay in Alaska.
 Landslide material can also block rivers and increase the risk of
floods. They also have a devastating effect on farmers’ livelihoods
as they can prevent access to land for years, destroy seed and
food stocks and will commonly result in the loss of livestock and
standing crops.

Steps to reduce the impact of landslides

 Restricting certain types of land use where slope stability is in

question, and by installing early warning systems based on the
monitoring of ground conditions such as strain in rocks and soils,
slope displacement, and groundwater levels.
 Modifying slope geometry, using chemical agents to reinforce
slope material.
 Installing structures such as piles and retaining walls.
 Diverting debris pathways, and rerouting surface and underwater
drainage.