Mass Movements

• Mass Movement is the downslope movement of soil and rock resulting from the force of gravity.

• Mass Movements are directly effected by weather conditions and climate.

• They can range from small rock falls to massive amounts of material drastically changing landscapes.

Read the Chapter and Finish Your Notes Before Working on the Questions That Follow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mknStAMia0Q

You can also follow this link to a short video with some more information on mass movements (and some sweet footage).

Study this slide carefully, the next question will ask you about it!!

Human Impact

• Mass movements are natural, but human activity can impact their size and frequency.

• Construction of buildings, roads and bridges can make slops unstable.

• Looks expensive --->

Reducing the Risk

• We can reduce the risk by not building in areas prone to mass movements, or at the bottom of unstable slopes.

• More importantly, we can stop REBUILDING in areas that have already been destroyed.

• We can also building trenches, retaining walls, fences and metal nets to catch debris.