Category: General Science & Ability Notes

What are Landslide and What Causes | General Science & Ability Notes

What Are Landslides?

A landslide is a downward movement of rock and soil debris that has become detached from the underlying slope. The material can move by falling, toppling, sliding, spreading and flowing.

What Causes Landslides?

There are many possible causes of landslides these can either be geological, morphological or human-induced. A few of these include saturation of slope material (rainfall), seismic activity (earthquakes and volcanoes), undercutting of cliffs and banks by waves and rivers, removal of vegetation, and modification of slopes.

When the stability of a slope decreases or changes, even just slightly, it can make the slope unstable. This means that with a large or even a small change, can cause a landslide. However, there are many things that contribute to a landslides including;

• Erosion – if this occurs, even just slightly, can make some of the slope to fall in to oceans or rivers.
• Glaciers can also have a landslide – there is not much of a different from a cliff top. Instead, the ice melts or is subject to heavy rain and causes a slight shift from a glacier.
• Earthquakes – this brings about a sharp change in the slope and makes it unstable.
• Groundwater can destabilize the slope putting pressure on it greatly.
• Volcanoes erupting – this can cause the slope to become unstable.
• Soil structure can change.