Why does a rotational slide form a steep head scarp?
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landslide
This 1995 landslide at La Conchita, a coastal town in California, swept away a hillside road and destroyed a number of houses.
In a rotational slide, also known as a slump, the movement of the displaced mass occurs along a concave-upward set of shear surfaces. Because the axis of rotation is roughly parallel to the contours of the slope, the material near the head of the slide moves in a predominantly downward direction. This downward displacement of the mass away from the stable, unslumped material creates a steep, exposed surface known as a head scarp.12