Erosion by Mass Movement Columbia Pkwy Cincinnati Erosion

Erosion by Mass Movement Columbia Pkwy, Cincinnati

• Erosion : the process by which natural forces move weathered rock and soil from one place to another. • Gravity, running water, glaciers, waves, and wind can all cause erosion. • Deposition: occurs where agents of erosion lay down their sediments. • Weathering, erosion, and deposition act together in a cycle that wear down and builds up Earth’s surface.

Mass Movement DEFINITION: • Mass movement is the down-slope movement of rock and sediment due to gravitational forces. • • TYPES: Landslide (rapid) Mudslide (rapid) Slump (moderate) Creep (slow)

Landslide • A landslide is a mass of rock moving down a slope

• The top picture shows a part of the Smokey Mountains in 1976. The bottom picture shows the same area in 1980.

Mudslide • A mudslide (or mudflow) is the downslope movement of a mixture of water and soil.

Slump • Slump is the downward movement of materials as one unit. • The material moves along a curved plane, it often looks like the front of a spoon.

Creep • Creep is the slow downhill movement of rock and soil over time.

Causes of Mass Movement Factors that allow gravity to overcome the resistance of materials on a slope are: • Saturation of water (ground becomes too wet). • Steepening of slopes by other forms of erosion or construction. • Seismic or volcanic activity. • Freezing and thawing. • Fires leaving slopes bare. • No ground vegetation.

IDENTIFY THE FOLLOWING TYPES OF MASS MOVEMENT: