debris flow
Fast-moving sediment mass
A debris flow is a fast-moving mass of water-saturated rock, soil, and vegetation that travels down slopes or channels, often triggered by heavy rainfall or rapid snowmelt.
Unlike landslides, debris flows behave like thick fluid, picking up material as they move: The debris flow buried the highway in mud and boulders.
They're particularly destructive because of their speed and the weight of material they carry.
- rockfallCollapsed cliff material
- landslideMass of earth falling
- laharVolcanic debris flow
- steep slopeAbrupt rise in terrain
- earthflowSlow mass wasting
mudflow · avalanche · viscous · snowmelt · slurry · rockslide · geomorphology · talus · canyon floor · alluvial fan · slump · loose sediment · erosion · warning system · evacuation zone · boulders · slope · rubble
- natural disastersearthquake, tornado, hurricane, tsunami, volcanic eruption
- Earth processesplate tectonics, erosion, weathering, volcanism, sedimentation
- Earth soundsrumble, tremor, quake, eruption, landslide
- hazard researchnatural hazards, seismology, volcanology, meteorology, climatology
- land changeslandslides, earthquake, erosion, landslide, earthquakes
- sedimentsilt, sand, clay, gravel, mud
debris flowsoil formation
How dirt develops naturally
deposition · sedimentation · revegetation · land reclamation