landslide - Sierterm UEM | Terminología trilingüe

GC: n

CT: A landslide is the movement of rock, debris or earth down a slope. They result from the failure of the materials which make up the hill slope and are driven by the force of gravity. Landslides are known also as landslips, slumps or slope failure.
Some of the most common types of landslide in Australia are earth slides, rock falls and debris flows. The movement of landslide material can vary from abrupt collapses to slow gradual slides and at rates which range from almost undetectable to extremely rapid. Sudden and rapid events are the most dangerous because of a lack of warning and the speed at which material can travel down the slope as well as the force of its resulting impact. Extremely slow landslides might move only millimetres or centimetres a year and can be active over many years. Although this type of landslide is not a threat to people they can cause considerable damage to property.
Landslides can be triggered by natural causes or by human activity. They range from a single boulder in a rock fall or topple to tens of millions of cubic metres of material in a debris flow.
They can also vary in their extent, with some occurring very locally and impacting a very small area or hill slope while others affect much larger regional areas. The distance travelled by landslide material can also differ significantly with slides travelling from a few centimetres to many kilometres depending on the volume of material, water content and gradient of the slope.

S: http://www.ga.gov.au/scientific-topics/hazards/landslide/basics/what (last access: 17 February 2015)

N: 1. 1856, American English, from land (n.) + slide (n.). Earlier was landslip, still preferred in Britain. Old English used eorðgebyrst in this sense; literally “earth-burst.”
2. A mass of material that has slipped downhill by gravity, often assisted by water when the material is saturated.
The rapid movement of a mass of soil, rock or debris down a slope.
3. The usually rapid downward movement of a mass of rock, earth, or artificial fill on a slope. Under this denomination fall all mass movements other than Mud Slide and Avalanche. (GLIDE)

S: 1. OED – http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=landslide&searchmode=none (17 February 2015). 2. GDT (last access: 17 February 2015). 3. RWP – http://www.who.int/hac/about/reliefweb-aug2008.pdf (last access: 4.08.2015) (p. 37).