Week 8: Mass Wasting

        The term mass wasting may be daunting but it's just a fancy word for any, "downward slope movement of soil and rock under the direct influence of gravity" (Books). We can classify these slides by their type of material and how the rock moves whether it's sliding, flowing or falling. Also how fast it's moving by measuring it's velocity. The subcategories for flow is slump, block guide,
rock avalanche, creep and rockfall. These classifications help geologist determine the safety or danger a cliff might posses. England obviously have to deal with these effects just like any country with land must deal with. The Joint Nature Committee states, "Over 30 sites across Great Britain showing important features of scientific interest associated with mass movements are described, representing relict and active types of slope- and rock-failure such as debris avalanches, mudflows, rockfalls, rockslides, and planar and rotational slides." It's worker are developing landscapes that severely cut down this risk of mass wasting. They are currently in the works of identifying and creating a safer environment for those at-risk areas (JNCC). The Environmental Protection Act of 1990 has the special functions to be undertaken through JNCC is the 'establishment of common standards throughout Great Britain for the monitoring of nature conservation...' (JNCC) This informs and protects British citizens from the dangers of major land shifts.


Citation:
https://books.google.com/books?id=ECfTCQAAQBAJ&pg=PT240&lpg=PT240&dq=england's+mass+wasting+problem&source=bl&ots=FPKpKMSGOR&sig=EbVqrW5Tf-eInTO4SwoKiwL8jIE&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjE1sTy-NDLAhVL6WMKHYGTCsUQ6AEIHDAA#v=onepage&q=england's%20mass%20wasting%20problem&f=false

http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-3015