Question

Can somebody help me underatand the difference between vertical and horizontal movement of weathered particles? Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Disintegrated and fragmented rock materials due to mechanism of weathering processes (mechani­cal, chemical, biotic and biochemical) are called rockwastes. Generally, movement of rock waste enblock down the hillslope is called mass-movement of rockwaste or simply mass movement.

‘Mass movement is the detachment and downslope transport of soil and rock material under the influence of gravity. The sliding or flowing of these materials is due to their position and to gravitational forces, but mass movement is acceler­ated by the presence of water, ice and air. This definition of mass movement permits consideration of the move­ment of earth materials at ail scales and at all rates’.

It is evident from the above definition that mass movement includes both, detach­ment of rock materials and their downslope transport enblock. ‘The collective term for gravitational or downslope movements of weathered rock debris is mass-wasting.