1. Identify three factors that contribute to slope stability
2. How is slump different from creep?
3. Explain some ways in which mass movement can affect wildlife.
4. Why might a rock slide turn into a rock avalanche?
5. Why are saturated sediments so weak?

Three factors that contribute to slope stability are the strength of the materials, the angle of the slope, and the amount of water present.

Slump is a type of slide that occurs along a curved failure surface. The materials involved move as a single unit. Creep is a type of flow during which materials move down a slope slowly.

Mass movement can affect wildlife by blocking or rerouting streams, disrupting the habitats of fish and aquatic plants. It can also remove all the trees and plants from an area, creating habitat loss for birds and mammals that live in forests.

A rock slide involves a slab of rock that moves as a single unit. As the slab of rock gathers speed, it can shatter into many fragments, which begin to flow rather than slide. At this point, the rock slide becomes a rock avalanche.

Saturated sediments are weak because the large amount of water around each grain actually pushes the grains apart. This reduces the amount of friction between grains. This can make sediments very unstable and lead to slope failure.