Mass movement on slopes and soils

Abstract

The paper discusses mass movement influence on morphological and chemical properties of soils. The mass movements: 1) provide homogeneity of parent material under conditions of complicate geological structure, 2) f acilitate the mineral mass weathering which accounts for difference in the chemical composition between slope formations and solid rocks; 3) control the vertical differentiation of soil profile (defluction permits the morphological differentiation of soil, slow solifluction determines a homogenous brown soil profile which is given an informal name «creepozem»), 4) mass movements on slopes influence the long-existing (conservative) properties (morphology, general chemical composition) while more dynamic characteristics (humus, pH, absorbed bases) have time to differentiate even under relatively «high» rate of the mass movement.