Landslides

By: Kimberly Alcala

Definition
Landslides are rock, earth, and/or debris flowing or sliding down slopes due to gravity.

The downward sliding of a relatively dry mass of earth and rock. the falling or sliding of a mass of soil, detritus, or rock on or from a steep slope.

Causes
Heavy rains Earthquakes Volcano eruptions

Floods
Grading Terrain Cutting Droughts

Air
Confined by falling rock debris, air may act as a cushion to reduce the friction between the sliding material and the underlying rock or ground.

Gravity
Gravity provides the energy to displace the soil and bedrock, but other factors contribute to an increase in stress and decrease in strength. A stress tends to make part of a block material slide block material slide with respect to an adjoining part.

Vibrations

Vibrations from blasting, heavy traffic and earthquakes also can contribute to shear stress and precipitate slides.

Speed

Landslides travel at least over than 260 feet per second

Types
Rockfalls- large chunks of rock that tumble down a cliff or steep slopes Lahars- ash from a volcano mixes with water, to form a thick river of mud

Earthflows- contain less water and flow more slowly; move shorter distances
Slope Failure- involve one block or a series of slump blocks Slump- larges masses move downward and outward due to a gravity pull Debris Slides- consist of moving masses of mud, soil,

Hotspots
Anywhere with steep slopes and weathering High mountain ranges, sheer cliffs, and steep sided river valleys Where volcanoes erupt and along coasts

Effects
Bury entire villages that are at the bottom of the mountain range Close roads Rapidly moving water and debris can cause trauma Broken gas, electric, water, and sewage lines can break

Landslides also sweep up trees, cars, and buildings

Effects

Traffic Stops
Landslides can cause a headache for many travelers on the road Landslides occur on hills near roads quite often causing bad traffic

Pictures

Safe Spots From Landslides

Stay on hard bedrock that has not been moved lately or in the past Stay on relatively flat-lying areas far from slopes or river banks Stay at the top of ridges, away from the top of slopes

If in Danger
Call your fire or police departments Warn neighbors in danger

Evacuate the premises immediately

SUMMARY
A landslide or landslip is a geoligcal phenomenon which includes a wide range of ground movements, such as rockfalls, deep failure of slopes and shallow debris flows, which can occur in offshore, coastal and onshore environments. Although the action of gravity is the primary driving force for a landslide to occur, there are other contributing factors affecting the original slope stability.Typically, pre-conditional factors build up specific sub-surface conditions that make the area/slope prone to failure, whereas the actual landslide often requires a trigger before being released.

REFLECTION
Landslides occur in many geographic regions, in response to a wide variety of conditions and processes, and result in substantial damages. Although some landslides are due to human activity, others are unavoidable natural processes that occur on apparently undisturbed land, and this differing causality may require attention by a number of different regulating authorities.