How are landslides classified by the material that moves?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

landslide This 1995 landslide at La Conchita, a coastal town in California, swept away a hillside road and destroyed a number of houses.

In the study of geology, landslides are primarily classified by two factors: the type of movement and the type of material involved. When categorized by the material that moves, landslides are classified as rock, debris, or earth.1

Rock: Refers to the movement of consolidated bedrock masses.1
Debris: Involves a mixture of coarse-grained material, often including a significant proportion of larger fragments.1
Earth: Typically refers to the movement of finer-grained materials, such as soil or clay.1

These material classifications are often combined with movement types—such as slides, flows, spreads, topples, or falls—to describe the specific nature of the landslide event.1