ERTH 2415 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Landslide, Subsidence, Permafrost

• School: Carleton University
• Department: Earth Sciences
• Course: ERTH 2415
• Professor: Jason Mah

Document Summary

Flows: mass movement involving continuous internal deformation of the moving material, main difference between slides and flows, slides: little deformation within the moving material, flows: material thoroughly deformed during movement. How creep works: expansion under wet conditions, contraction under dry conditions. Rock, debris, earth flows: mixture of rock fragments, soil and water flowing downslope as a viscous fluid, generally confined to pre-existing channels, usually related to high water content. Often occur in relation with heavy rain or sudden snowmelt. Gelifluction: type of flow observed in northern regions, linked to the melting of the top layer of permafrost, water cannot infiltrate through the permanently frozen, impermeable layer below, soil become saturated and weak, and flows down gentle slopes. Complex events: combination of falls, slides and/or flows, most mass movements are complex events, avalanche: rapid complex. Water and clay splashed on the mountains on the south side of the valley.