Gourt > Kids and Teens > School Time > Science > The Earth > Natural Disasters and Hazards > Landslides
- This entry refers to the geological term. For political usage, see landslide victory. For the Fleetwood Mac song, see Landslide (song).
A landslide is a geological phenomenon which includes a wide range of ground movement, such as rock falls, deep failure of slopes, and shallow debris flows. Although gravity acting on an over steepened slope is the primary reason for a landslide, there are other contributing factors:
- erosion by rivers, glaciers, or ocean waves create oversteepened slopes
- rock and soil slopes are weakened through saturation by snowmelt or heavy rains
- earthquakes create stresses that make weak slopes fail (see liquefaction, Hope Slide)
- volcanic eruptions produce loose ash deposits, heavy rain, and debris flows.
- vibrations from machinery, traffic, blasting, and even thunder may trigger failure of weak slopes
- excess weight from accumulation of rain or snow, stockpiling of rock or ore, from waste piles, or from man-made structures may stress weak slopes to failure and other structures
- groundwater pressure acting to destabilise the slope
- in shallow soils, the removal of deep-rooted vegetation that binds the colluvium to bedrock.
Special types of landslides
More on [ Landslide ]
My deep condolences for the Ciwidey's landslides victims
Hanifah_Nila (hanifah nila) Sat, 27 Feb 2010 22:53:56 -0000
My deep condolences for the Ciwidey's landslides victims
Earthquakes-Tsunamis-Floods-Landslides-Blizzards. Mother Nature is not a happy woman this week. No damage here yet. Fingers crossed.
judithbarnett (Sound by Judith) Sat, 27 Feb 2010 22:46:19 -0000
Earthquakes-Tsunamis-Floods-Landslides-Blizzards. Mother Nature is not a happy woman this week. No damage here yet. Fingers crossed.
@Snatalia @Shanajaca Finally did you see the landslides in Madeira recently weve been there too & walked across the bridge on the news
tomsgal (tina) Sat, 27 Feb 2010 22:38:45 -0000
@Snatalia @Shanajaca Finally did you see the landslides in Madeira recently weve been there too & walked across the bridge on the news
what have we done to the world...look what we've done ; haiti,tsunamis,hurricanes,landslides, why cant we just stop hurting mother earth!?
Love_4_Prince_J (Jess) Sat, 27 Feb 2010 22:37:33 -0000
what have we done to the world...look what we've done ; haiti,tsunamis,hurricanes,landslides, why cant we just stop hurting mother earth!?
@JoeyGusto its basically movement under water that causes giant waves to come up. Earthquakes landslides and stuff like that.
StephBeLike (STEPHANIE) Sat, 27 Feb 2010 22:31:50 -0000
@JoeyGusto its basically movement under water that causes giant waves to come up. Earthquakes landslides and stuff like that.
@ThunderPig True. Just noting that it helps that this quake wasn't underwater, caused no major landslides.
jimmiebjr (Jimmie) Sat, 27 Feb 2010 22:21:22 -0000
@ThunderPig True. Just noting that it helps that this quake wasn't underwater, caused no major landslides.
Fly-by Movies of Ancient Landslides - Computer simulation and film footage shows landslides and mudflows that took place in California in 1996 and 1997.
Italian Landslides Photos - A collection of photographs taken by a geologist as he studied landslides and mudflows all over Italy.
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Landslides and Mudflows - Fact sheet describes the warning signs, and advises what to do if you are in the path of one.
Landslides in BC - This illustrated and interactive site from Canada describes the different types and explains what causes them, where they occur, and how they can affect people.
Landslides in the News - The US Geological Survey presents a continually updated list of news stories about recent landsldes around the world.
Meta Description: [ USGS Landslide Hazards Program, responsible for researching, monitoring and forecasting landslide hazards ]
Puget Sound Landslides - A slideshow of photographs and explanations about the causes and effects of landslides in this part of US state of Washington.
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What is a Landslide? - Brief explanation of what causes them, and what sorts of areas are more likely to have them.
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