What Is Mass Wasting?

Mass wasting is the downhill movement of rock and soil material due to gravity. The term landslide is often used as a synonym, but mass wasting is a much broader term referring to all movement downslope. Movement by mass wasting can be slow or rapid. Rapid movement can be dangerous, such as during debris flows. Recall that erosion is a powerful and continuous process and therefore landslides can be devastating and costly. In California, we have many regions with a high potential for landslides, particularly if you live near the coast, mountains, or a recent burn area (Figure 10.1).

Aerial photo of the Mud Creek landslide near Big Sur, California. — **Figure 10.1:** The Mud Creek landslide near Big Sur, California. (Public Domain, USGS)

Those who study mass wasting are typically referred to as geomorphologists or hazard scientists. Like many other geoscientists, working with other disciplines is common, with a heavy influence from both math and technology. Many are employed by universities where they teach and/or do research, and state and federal agencies, including geological surveys, like the California Geological Survey or United State Geological Survey (USGS). Additional career pathways are available in the private sector including hazard mitigation and assessment. Many of these career options require a college degree and postgraduate work. If you are interested, talk to your geology instructor for advice. We recommend completing as many math and science courses as possible (chemistry is incredibly important for mineralogy). Also, visit National Parks, CA State Parks, museums, gem & mineral shows, or join a local rock and mineral club. Typically, natural history museums will have wonderful displays of rocks, including those from your local region. Here in California, there are a number of large collections, including the San Diego Natural History Museum, Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History, and Kimball Natural History Museum. Many colleges and universities also have their own collections/museums.