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10: Landslides and Mass Wasting

  • Page ID
    14529
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    Learning Outcomes

    After completing this chapter, you should be able to:

    • Identify and describe types of mass wasting.
    • Describe some of the measures that can be taken to mitigate the risks associated with mass wasting.

    • 10.1: Front Matter
      Mass wasting is the downhill movement of rock and soil material due to gravity. The term landslide is often used as a synonym, but mass wasting is a much broader term referring to all movement downslope. Movement by mass wasting can be slow or rapid. Rapid movement can be dangerous, such as during debris flows.
    • 10.2: Activity 10A - Concept Sketches and Mass Wasting
      A concept sketch is a simplified drawing illustrating the main aspects of landscape or system. It is annotated with concise but complete labels that identify important features. Short sentences describe the processes that are occurring. The final aim is to show the relationships between features and processes. It is not simply a sketch labeled with only the names of features.
    • 10.3: Activity 10B - Can a House Contribute to Slope Failure?
      It is commonly believed that building a house (or some other building) at the top of a slope will add a lot of extra weight to the slope, which could contribute to slope failure.
    • 10.4: Activity 10C - Mass Wasting in California

    Thumbnail: “Big Sur Landslide on May 20, 2017” (Public Domain; USGS)


    This page titled 10: Landslides and Mass Wasting is shared under a CC BY-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Chloe Branciforte & Emily Haddad (ASCCC Open Educational Resources Initiative) .

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