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Parts of a landslide

Short answer

Key parts: crown (undisturbed above main scarp), main scarp, head, body on the rupture surface, foot, toe at lowest edge. Tension cracks at crown, flanks on sides.

Describe the parts of a landslide with a labelled diagram.

A landslide has the following parts.

   crown   main scarp
     |  _______
     | /   head \ 
 ----+/  ___      \ minor scarp
        /   \ body  \
       / slip surface\
      /  (rupture)    \
     /_______ foot_____\ toe
                 deposit  ~~~ river
  • Crown: undisturbed material above the main scarp.
  • Main scarp: steep surface at the upper edge of the slide, caused by movement of the mass away from stable ground.
  • Minor scarp: secondary steps within the moved mass.
  • Head: upper part of the moved mass, along the contact with the main scarp.
  • Body (main body): the displaced material lying on the rupture surface.
  • Surface of rupture (slip surface): the surface along which sliding takes place.
  • Foot: the moved mass beyond the toe of the rupture surface.
  • Toe: the lowest edge of the displaced mass, farthest from the main scarp.
  • Flanks: the sides of the slide.
  • Tension cracks at the crown; transverse cracks and pressure ridges in the body and toe.

✓ Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort)

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