MASS WASTING

Which is sometimes called mass movement or slope movement, is defined as the

large movement of rock, soil and debris downward due to the force of gravity.
It happens when the gravitational force acting on a mountain overcomes the
resistive forces of the mountain that work to keep rocks and soil in their places.
Mass wasting includes the processes that transport large quantities of the earths
materials (rock, sediment, soil) down slope under the influence of gravity.
 INVOLVED TERMS IN MASS
WASTING

SHEAR STRENGTH
ANGLE OF REPOSE
SHEAR STRENGTH

Mass wasting is mainly due to gravity. So we see that mountains have an ongoing tug-of-war with
gravity. Gravity is constantly trying to pull rock and debris down the slope of a mountain. At the
same time, the resistive forces of the mountain, including the cohesive strength and internal friction
between the materials, referred to as the mountain's shear strength, constantly pulls back against
gravity.
The shear strength works to maintain the slope's stability and keep the materials in place. This is a
lot like a mountain climber gripping onto the side of a mountain and resisting gravity. The climber
uses his grip strength to resist gravity, like the mountain uses its shear strength.
 ANGLE OF REPOSE

The steepest angle that a cohesion less slope can maintain without losing its stability is known as
its angle of repose. When a slope possesses this angle, its shear strength perfectly
counterbalances the force of gravity acting upon it.
FACTORS THAT PROMOTE MASS WASTING
 MAIN FACTORS THAT PROMOTE MASS WASTING

GRAVITY
THE STEEPNESS OF THE SLOPE
 GRAVITY

The force that pulls anything toward the ground.

Gravity constantly pull rock and debris down the slope of a mountain.
Shear strength also pulls back constantly to maintain the slopes stability and to keep the materials
in place.
 STEEPNESS OF A SLOPE

By increasing the steepness of a slope increases the chances of mass wasting simply because the
gravitational force acting on a steep slope is greater than the force acting on a gentle slope.
 NATURAL FACTORS

EXCESS WATER
EARTHQUAKES
WEATHERING
 EXCESS WATER

Water may be the most important. Water can both increase the risk of mass wasting and decrease
the risk, depending on how much water is present. This can be related to building a sandcastle at
the beach. In order to make sand stick together, you need a little bit of water. If you add too
much water to the sand, you will have a hard time getting the sandcastle to stand up, and your
sandcastle walls will collapse under the influence of gravity. A small amount of water helps them
bond and stick together. However, if too much rain falls or soil becomes saturated by increased
water, then the soil particles and other materials will wash away down the mountain.
 EARTHQUAKE

The violent shaking that occurs in a region where an earthquake takes place has the ability to
break off sections of mountains or hills causing them to slide down the slope.
 WEATHERING

Mass wasting is more likely to occur in loose or poorly consolidated slope material than in solid
bedrock. As soon as solid rock is exposed at the earth's surface, weathering begins to disintegrate
and decompose it, thereby reducing its shear strength and increasing its susceptibility to mass
wasting. The deeper the weathering zone extends, the greater the likelihood of some type of
mass movement.
 Some rocks are more susceptible to weathering than others and climate plays an important role
in the rate and type of weathering. In the tropics, where temperatures are high and considerable
rainfall occurs, the effects of weathering extend to depths of several tens of meters, and rapid
mass movements most commonly occur in the deep weathering zone. In arid and semiarid regions,
the weathering zone is usually considerably shallower. Nevertheless, localized and intense cloud-
bursts can drop large quantities of water on an area in a short time. With little vegetation to
absorb this water, runoff is rapid and frequently results in mudflows. In high mountains, rockfalls
are common because of frost action.
 HUMAN ACTIVITIES

VEGETATION REMOVAL
OVERLOADING
UNDERMINING
 VEGETATION REMOVAL

Vegetation affects slope stability in several ways. By absorbing the water from a rainstorm,
vegetation decreases water saturation of a slope's material and the resultant loss of shear strength
that frequently leads to mass wasting. In addition, the root system of vegetation helps to stabilize
a slope by binding soil particles together and holding the soil to bedrock.
The removal of vegetation by either natural or human activity is a major cause of many mass
movements. Summer brush and forest fires in southern california, for example, frequently leave
the hillsides bare of vegetation. Fall rainstorms saturate the ground causing mudslides that do
tremendous damage.
 OVERLOADING

Overloading is almost always the result of human activity and typically results from dumping,
filling, or piling up of material. Under natural conditions, a material's load is carried by its grain-
to-grain contacts, and a slope is thus maintained by the friction between grains. The additional
weight created by overloading increases the water pressure within the material, which in turn
decreases its shear strength, thereby weakening the slope material. If enough material is added,
the slope will eventually fail, sometimes with tragic consequences.
 UNDERMINING

Undermining is eroding the base or foundation of a rock formation.

Humans undermine a slope by: mining and quarrying, excavating for a building site, road or
pipeline.