Mass Wasting

Oceanside, California is one of many places in Southern California that experience mass wasting. Mass Wasting is the movement of earth's materials, because of gravity, pulling downslope. These mass wasting events can be very sudden, often slow and can move into larger movements of landslides. There are three types of mass wasting. Creep, a slow continuing movement. Slides, sudden downhill movement of masses of rocks and sediment and Debris flow which is dense, fluid mixtures of rock, sand, mud and water. Water is a big factor of mass wasting. Water affects the stability of the soil. Usually such events are triggered or hastened by heavy rainfall, or lots of rainfall overtime.

An area in Southern California destroyed due to Mass Wasting. 

http://www.flashcardmachine.com/earth-and-theenvironment.html

Specifically in Southern California the steep slopes, the frequency of earthquakes, with patterns of wildfire and rainfall are huge factors to their mass wasting. California receives very sporadic changes in the rainfall that cause dry seasons that create the forest fires which is not good for the outcomes of Mass Wasting.

http://blank005.tripod.com/geology/masswasting.html




 *Video of the affects of a landslide in San Diemos, California.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pCMMwQmUjHI&feature=related

Mass Wasting can be detrimental to people living in the area, it can cause devastation to houses, natural resources and other structures built on the area around it. Depending the size of the landslide outcomes can become very serious. Mass wasting can also can cause the acceleration of erosion through the construction causing reducing of the  amount of sand on the beaches. Actions can be done to prevent Mass Wasting such as: picking vegetation areas with stable slopes, stabilizing structures, regrading of slopes to lessen the steepness, and installing of drainage and runoff to decrease the moisture on the slope sides.

Work Sited:

http://people.hofstra.edu/j_b_bennington/33notes/mass_wasting.html
http://www.geology.wisc.edu/courses/g112/mass_wasting.html
http://cengagesites.com/academic/assets/sites/4004/DeCourten_1424067871_LowRes.pdf