LANDSLIDES

Thorp Landslide 1970

What Causes Landslides?

Weak substrate Weathering of material Jointed and/or sheared

substrates Discontinuity in the

outcrop Contrast between the

stability and permeability of layers of material

Tectonics Volcanism Glacial rebound Water/glacial erosion at the

toe or lateral margins Deep or underlying erosion of

materials Depositional loading of the

slope Removal of vegetation Freeze-thaw processes Shrink-swell processes

Geological Causes Morphological Causes

Human Causes

Slope excavation Slope loading Deforestation Irrigation Mining Artificial vibrations Water leakage from pipes (utilities)

Parts of a Landslide

Types of Landslides

What variables trigger landslides?

What variables can we control/test?

Design Your Experiment

What is your question? Do background research Construct a hypothesis Test your hypothesis by doing an

experiment Record and analyze your data and draw

a conclusion/summarize Communicate your results

Landslide Lab Materials

• 1 clear container • Earth materials:

• Sand• Soil• Gravel • Snow (optional) • Twigs, grass, etc. for vegetation cover

• 1 Graduated cylinder • 1 Watering can or spray bottle• 1 Protractor (to measure slope angle)• 1 Scale• 1 Stopwatch