WEATHERING

It is the breaking down or dissolving of rocks and minerals on Earth’s surface. This can be caused by a variety of
factors including Water, acids, salt, plants, wind, ice, animals, changes in temperature and even plants roots
growing in cracks.

Difference between Weathering and Erosion

If a rock is changed or broken but stays where it is, it is called weathering.
If the pieces of weathered rock are moved away, it is called erosion.

TYPES OF MASS WASTING

BIOLOGICAL WEATHERING

MASS WASTING

In your travel from your home to school or other places, have you noticed a downward movement of rocks, soil
and regolith (rock and mineral fragments from weathering) from slopes?

The mass movement of rocks, soil and regolith is often referred to as mass wasting. It is the step that follows
weathering and is also a degradation process. The driving force of mass wasting is gravity. although gravity is the
controlling force, there are other factors that influence or trigger the down slope movement of materials with
water, such as over steepening of slopes beyond the angle of repose, removal of anchoring vegetation, and ground
vibration from earthquakes.

Water has a lubricating effect that lessens the cohesion among particles, allowing the particles to slide past one
another easily. The angle of repose is the steepest angle at which materials remain stable and do not move down
slope. Depending on the size and shape of the particles, the angle of repose varies from 25° to 40°. The root
system of plants binds the soil and regolith together, minimizing the down slope movement of materials. Ground
vibrations due to earthquakes trigger mass movement.

TYPES OF MASS WASTING

Each process is defined by the type of materials involved, and the velocity and nature of the movement.

ROCK AND DEBRIS FALLS - Rock falls occur when a piece of rock or mass of rocks become dislodged and makes
free fall along a steep cliff. Debris fall is similar to rock fall, except that it involves a mixture of soil regolith,
vegetation and rocks. at the base of the cliff is an accumulation of fallen materials called talus.

LAND SLIDES - Landslides are another type of mass wasting. they are sudden fast movement of cohesive mass of
soil, rocks, or regolith. they occur in two types: Translation and Rotational slides. Translational slides involves the
movement of a mass of materials along a well-defined surface, such as bedding plane, foliation surface, or joint
surface. Rotational slides or slumps occur when the descending materials move en-masse along a concave, upward
curved surface

FLOWS - Flows may be slurry flows or granular flows. (Materials behave as a liquid. Commonly occur in humid
areas.) Slurry flows consist of a mixture of rocks and/or regolith with 20% to 40% water. they are considered
as water saturated flows. Granular flows contain 0 to 20% water. They are not saturated with water. Slurry
flows may be subdivided further on the basis of velocity:
• Solifluction- the flow rate is around 1 cm/yr and occurs in areas saturated with water
• Debris flows- the velocities range from 1 m/yr to 100 m/h; these result from heavy rains

MUDFLOWS - these are high velocity mixture of sediment and water. The velocities are greater than 1 km/h; these
result from heavy rain and can travel long distances Granular flows may be subdivided further based on velocity.

CREEP - the slow movement of regolith down a slope, observed in bent tress and fences

EARTHFLOWS - the velocities rabge from less than 1cm/yr to less than 100 m/h
GRAIN FLOWS - the velocities range from 9 to 100 m/h to less than 100 km/h; they relatively dry material like sand
dunes.

DEBRIS AVALANCHE - these are very high velocity flows ( more than 100 km/h ) of large volume of mixtures of
rocks and regolith.

Human and Mass Wasting

Although mass wasting is a natural phenomenon, human activities may induce mass movement. Example of
human activities include the removal of vegetation through logging and urban development, among others.

• Vegetation helps hold soil, loos rocks, and regolith, through the roots of plants. Plant debris like leaves, and
twigs protect the soil. Observing practices, such as selective logging, reforestation, planting trees on stepper
slopes and along streams and rivers, and not removing or burning plant debris, may reduce mass movement.
• Oversteepening may be due to quarrying, open-pit mining, home building on steep slopes, highway
construction ( road cuts ) and adding weight to slope with housing constructions. Reducing the slope may be
reduce mass movement. Thus it can be done through proper grading or building terraces, reinforcing the base
of the slope and reducing the load and the slope.
• Adding moisture to slope through lawn watering, leakage into induces mass movement. Water serves as
lubricant in mass movement. Reducing water in the slope makes the slope stable.

INSIGHTS

What are the three types of mass wasting?

(A) Rock and debris fall occur when rocks dislodge and move along steep cliffs.
(B)Landslide is a mass of rocks, soil, and regolith that move along well-defined or curved surface.
(C)Flows are slurry or granular materials that move rapidly like mudflows or slowly like creep.

What is the controlling force in a mass wasting?

The controlling force in mass wasting is gravity.

What are the other factors that may trigger mass wasting?
Factors that trigger mass wasting are over-steepening of the slopes beyond the angle at repose, removal
of anchoring vegetation, and ground vibration due to earthquake.

Describe the effects of mass wasting to Earth’s landscape.

Mudflow deposits form new plains.
Landslide reshapes hills/mountains.

Give two human-induced activities that affect mass wasting.

Human induced activities that affect mass wasting include:
A) Deforestation triggers landslides.
B) Road building oversteepening the angle of repose.
C) Reforestation reduces mass movement.
D) Reducing slopes like building terraces reduces mass movement.