All About Landslides: Land on the Run
La Conchita, CA, landslide site, spring 1995.Copyright R.L. Schuster, U.S. Geological Survey http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2001/ofr-01-0276/.
Students learn about landslides, discovering that there are different types of landslides that occur at different speeds — from very slow to very quick. All landslides are the result of gravity, friction and the materials involved. Both natural and human-made factors contribute to landslides. The interactions and different severity of these variables are demonstrated in the associated activity where students learn how scientists are studying landslides and current efforts to prevent them.
Landslides can be deadly and destructive to people and property. Engineers work with scientists to determine locations at which landslides might occur, how to minimize the damage, and how to prevent the actions of people from contributing to landslides. Engineers also design test facilities to simulate and study landslide characteristics, develop measuring devices to study real-world landslides, model landslides with computer simulations, and design structures to channel existing landslides around/under existing human-made structures such as buildings and highways.
After this lesson, students should be able to:
- Describe the basic characteristics of a landslide.
- Relate that gravity and friction are major factors in landslides.
- Explain several contributors to landslides: heavy rain, runoff water, earthquakes, human activities, forest fires, etc.
- List several ways that engineers reduce the danger and destruction of landslides.