Landslide, landslip and mass movement
- Landslide refers to the downward sliding of huge quantities of land mass which occur along steep slopes of hills or mountains and may be sudden or slow.
- They can occur along a slope where the internal resistance of the rocks is reduced or they lose their holding capacity.
- the action of gravity is the primary driving force for a landslide to occur
- Landslides should not be confused with mud flows, a form of mass wasting involving very to extremely rapid flow of debris that has become partially or fully liquified by the addition of significant amounts of water to the source material.
- Strategically deployed extensometers may be used to provide early warning of a potential landslide.
Causes of landslides:
- Excavation or under cutting of the base of slope
- Increase of water pressure in permeable layers of the land
- Stock which liquifies the soil beneath the slope
- Unstable geology
- Faulty mining practice
- Blasting and breaking the rock and soil stability
Landslide and Landslip, what’s the difference?
- Landslide is a natural disaster that involves the breakup and downhill flow of rock, mud, water and anything caught in the path.
- Landslip is the sliding of a mass of land down a slope or cliff.
- Mass movement / mass wasting/ slope movement is the movement of surface material caused by gravity