Article
Article
Mass wasting
Article By:
Nieto, Alberto S. University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois.
Last reviewed:November 2019
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.408900
A generic term for the downslope movement of soil, regolith (decomposed and disaggregated rock), and rock, above and below sea level, resulting primarily from gravitational body forces as they overcome the forces tending to keep these earth materials in place. Mass wasting, also known as mass movement, is distinct from other erosive processes in which particles or fragments are carried down by the energy of wind, running water, or moving ice and snow. Mass wasting generally creates colluvium, a type of deposit over or on the lower reaches of many slopes and with characteristics as varied as the mass-wasting processes. See also: Landslide
The content above is only an excerpt.
About AccessScience
AccessScience provides the most accurate and trustworthy scientific information available.
Recognized as an award-winning gateway to scientific knowledge, AccessScience is an amazing online resource that contains high-quality reference material written specifically for students. Contributors include more than 10,000 highly qualified scientists and 46 Nobel Prize winners.
MORE THAN 8700 articles covering all major scientific disciplines and encompassing the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology and McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology
115,000-PLUS definitions from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
3000 biographies of notable scientific figures
MORE THAN 19,000 downloadable images and animations illustrating key topics
ENGAGING VIDEOS highlighting the life and work of award-winning scientists
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY and additional readings to guide students to deeper understanding and research
LINKS TO CITABLE LITERATURE help students expand their knowledge using primary sources of information
