Types of Mass Movement Processes
The down-slope movement of material, whether it be bedrock, regolith, or a mixture of these, is commonly referred to as a landslide. All of these processes generally grade into one another, so classification of such processes is somewhat difficult. We will use a classification that divides mass movement processes into two broad categories (note that this classification is somewhat different than that used by your textbook).
Slope Failures - a sudden failure of the slope resulting in transport of debris down hill by sliding, rolling, falling, or slumping.
Sediment Flows - debris flows down hill mixed with water or air.