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Slump identification and geology

A type of mass wasting in which a coherent block of material slides downslope along a curved concave-up failure surface, rotating backward as it moves. Slumps produce a characteristic geomorphology: a crescent-shaped scarp at the head, a tilted block that has rotated backward, and a toe that may bulge outward. They occur in weak, fine-grained materials clay, shale, till on moderate slopes, often triggered by water saturation or undercutting. Field: geomorphology. Example: The Portuguese Bend landslide complex in Palos Verdes, California, is an active slump in Miocene clay-rich sediments, with ongoing slow rotation and displacement that has destroyed hundreds of homes since the 1950s.. Related terms: Landslide, Mass wasting, Rotational slide, Slope failure.

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Sources, scope & corrections

These authoritative resources support category-level nomenclature, terminology, identification methods, and safety. When a specimen-specific safety warning appears, the public-health source listed here directly supports that precaution. They are not line-by-line citations for every other property on this entry, and natural specimens vary.

Editorial owner
GeoMiner
Last updated
2026-03-30T15:19:42.127987+00:00
Review status
Published; not independently peer-reviewed
  • USGS Thesaurus — U.S. Geological Survey. Controlled earth-science terminology used to describe USGS information resources.
  • Glossary of Geologic Terms — U.S. National Park Service. Geologic definitions prepared by the NPS Geologic Resources Inventory.

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Common questions

What does Slump mean in geology?
A type of mass wasting in which a coherent block of material slides downslope along a curved concave-up failure surface, rotating backward as it moves. Slumps produce a characteristic geomorphology: a crescent-shaped scarp at the head, a tilted block that has rotated backward, and a toe that may bulge outward. They occur in weak, fine-grained materials clay, shale, till on moderate slopes, often triggered by water saturation or undercutting.
What is an example of Slump?
The Portuguese Bend landslide complex in Palos Verdes, California, is an active slump in Miocene clay-rich sediments, with ongoing slow rotation and displacement that has destroyed hundreds of homes since the 1950s.
Which earth-science field uses the term Slump?
Slump is used in geomorphology.
Which terms are related to Slump?
Related terms in this reference are Landslide, Mass wasting, Rotational slide, Slope failure.

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