Slump
Topic: Geomorphic Processes: Weathering, Mass Movement, Erosion and Soil Formation · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 5 "Geomorphic Processes"
Meaning
A slump is the slipping of one or more blocks of rock debris down a slope with a backward rotation. The block moves down along a curved, spoon-shaped surface, so its top tilts back towards the hill. It leaves a curved scar on the slope above. A slump is a kind of landslide, which here means a fairly dry, quick mass movement that you can clearly see. Slumps are common where weak material, such as clay, rests on a steep slope, or where the base of a slope has been cut away.
Example
After heavy rain in the Nilgiris of Tamil Nadu, a block of soil beside a road cut can slip down a curved surface. It tilts back towards the hill and leaves a crescent-shaped scar above.
Don't confuse with
- Rockslide: rock slides along a fairly flat bedding, joint or fault plane with no backward rotation.
- Soil creep: very slow and hardly noticeable. A slump is a sudden movement you can see.
Related concepts
- Mass movement
- Activating causes of mass movement
- Soil creep
- Solifluction
- Mudflow
- Debris avalanche
- Rockslide
- Rock fall