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Define landslide and its parts

Short answer

A landslide is the downward and outward movement of rock, soil or debris along a slip surface under gravity. Its parts include the crown, main scarp, head, slip surface, displaced body, toe, foot and flanks.

Define landslide and mention its various parts with illustration.

A landslide is the downward and outward movement of slope-forming rock, soil or debris along a slip surface under gravity.

   crown (undisturbed ground)
   ======+
         |  <- main scarp
         +-----+  head
          . . . +--------+
          .  slip surface  +---+
          .  body (moved)   . toe
          . . . . . . . . . .+---> foot

Main parts:

  1. Crown: undisturbed material above the main scarp.
  2. Main scarp: steep surface at the upper edge, formed by the slide.
  3. Head and minor scarps: top of the moved mass and small steps within it.
  4. Slip (rupture) surface: the surface on which movement takes place.
  5. Body (displaced mass): material above the slip surface.
  6. Toe and foot: lower margin of the moved mass, and the part beyond the toe of the rupture surface.
  7. Flanks: the sides of the slide.

✓ Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort)

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