Causes Preceding Mass movements
Before a mass movement event occurs, several factors or triggers often precede it, leading to instability in the slope or hillside. Here are some common causes that precede mass movements:
- Heavy Rainfall or Rapid Snowmelt: Excessive precipitation can saturate the soil, increasing its weight and reducing its cohesion, making it more prone to movement.
- Seismic Activity: Earthquakes can shake loose materials on slopes, reducing their stability and triggering landslides or rockfalls.
- Overloading or Excavation: Human activities such as construction, mining, or road-building can alter the natural balance of slopes, increasing the risk of instability and mass movement.
- Vegetation Removal: Deforestation, clearing of vegetation for agriculture, or urbanization can weaken slopes by removing the stabilizing effect of plant roots, making them more susceptible to erosion and movement.
- Changes in Water Content: Changes in groundwater levels, changes in river flow patterns, or the presence of underground springs can affect the stability of slopes by altering the amount of water present in the soil or rock.
Mass Movement
Mass Movement Class 11 Notes: When you’re on a hill and you see rocks, dirt, or even whole chunks of land sliding or tumbling down, that’s what we call mass movement. It’s like a slow, unstoppable dance of soil and rock, shaped by gravity, happening all around us. In Class 11 geography, understanding mass movement is like uncovering the secrets of how our Earth changes its face over time.
This article is like a treasure map, guiding you through the basics of mass movement in simple terms. We’ll explore how it happens, why it matters, and what we can do about it. So, let’s take a journey into the world of mass movement, where every slide, slump, and tumble tells a story of our planet’s constant evolution.