Simular terms- Lahar, mudflow, or midstream
*Note: A mudflow isn't a landslide. Mudflows are much heavier and faster then a normal landslide. Just because the land is sliding, doesn't mean that it is a land slide*
- A mudflow is the most dangerous mass movement.
- They usually can be trigger by massive rainfall, high snow melt, and high ground water levels
- Since it is mud it will move at a fast pace. Why? I'm glad you asked! When the water ices with the soil it also add weight at the same time and that weight will continue to increase as the flow picks up more things.
- The world's largest Mudslide to EVER be recorded happened in 1980 when Mount St. Helens erupted in Washington. It had about 2.8 km^3 material volume.
- The largest prehistoric mudslide to be dated on the Kabir Kuh anticline in southwest Iran. It was 20 km^3 in volume and 300 meters deep. What does that mean? Excellent question! It means that about 50 billion tons of rock were moved at once!!!
- But professor, why are they dangerous? They can cause a massive amount of damage and kill thousands of people at a time ( depending on the size of the flow and the area)
- Whoa! This sounds dangerous. How can I avid it? Well...not much can be done except be cautious of the land around you, especially the people who live in areas that have: high slopes, heavy rain, wildfires, and earthquakes.!!