Mass movements can be defined as as any type of downslope movement of earth materials, such as sediment, soil and rock material. Mass movements are processes of erosion, transport and accumulation of material that occur on both gentle and steep slopes mainly owing to gravitational forces (IRDR Glossary).
These movements are generally associated with other disasters such as earthquakes, floods, thunderstorms and heavy rainstorm. They can be also associated with manmade hazards like construction roads, buildings, structures, infrastructure facilities.
Facts and figures
Mass movements occur based on several factors and causes differ depending on different regions. Mass movements are affected by the slope gradient, climate, rock type and structure, physical setting and geological and geomorphological outlines (Advances in Geosciences).
Mass-wasting events come in many shapes, sizes and speeds. Typically, the steeper the angle of a slope, the faster will be the down-slope movement of rock and sediment. Also, water can play a significant role in mass wasting, sometimes acting as the key component to a mass-wasting event, or serving as a lubricant within a mass of sediment and rock, enabling it to travel faster and further than it would otherwise.
One type of mass wasting can evolve into another type of mass wasting as the body of sediment/rock moves down a slope. This can make it difficult to classify a single event as being one type of mass wasting or another (Department of Geological Sciences, California State University).
A simple classification of the different types of mass wasting can be:
Falls (rock fall and rock avalanche)
Slides (rock slide, landslide and slump)
Flows (rock avalanche, debris flow, earth flow and creep).
Subsidence processes, sinkholes, or landslides can cause many problems. Even minor subsidence can weaken buildings and infrastructure and lead to issues such as flooding, and in worst cases abrupt disappearance of sections of land. Monitoring and predicting such processes are essential for adopting mitigating strategies.
The new European Ground Motion Service, created and offered by the Copernicus Land Monitoring Service and implemented by the European Environment Agency, provides free and accessible ground motion data.
Based on radar data from Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellite mission, the service provides information on the motion of land, structures and infrastructure in Copernicus Participating States. Its aim is to give users reliable information on ground motion at a local, regional or national scale.
Implementing science to save lives: A Decade of the Copernicus Emergency Management Service
The Copernicus Emergency Management Service (CEMS) celebrates a decade of operation as a world leader in emergency mapping, early warning tools and open-access disaster information.
For the past ten years, CEMS has provided a global service as a fully operation emergency mapping service at no cost to users and with open access data.
Some highlights on the contribution of CEMS in global disaster risk management activities:
576 Rapid Mapping Activations with 5,500+ maps delivered
Designed and implemented the world’s first Global Flood Monitoring tool
Ten years of wildfire forecasts up to ten days into the future
Average of 200+ flood and 500+ flash flood notifications to Member States and authorised users each year
Offers a current and historical database of 7,000+ drought episodes since 1950
The Copernicus DEM is a Digital Surface Model (DSM) which represents the surface of the Earth including buildings, infrastructure, and vegetation. The Copernicus DEM is provided in 3 different instances. Two worldwide coverages at 90m (GLO-90) and 30m (GLO-30) resolution are openly available to the public for download via the PANDA Catalogue and FTP. A further European coverage (EEA-10) is provided at 10m resolution, but data is restricted to eligible users who meet required access rights.
The Copernicus DEM is a Digital Surface Model (DSM) which represents the surface of the Earth including buildings, infrastructure, and vegetation. The Copernicus DEM is provided in 3 different instances. Two worldwide coverages at 90m (GLO-90) and 30m (GLO-30) resolution are openly available to the public for download via the PANDA Catalogue and FTP. A further European coverage (EEA-10) is provided at 10m resolution, but data is restricted to eligible users who meet required access rights.
Publishing institution:
Publishing institution:
The Copernicus DEM is a Digital Surface Model (DSM) which represents the surface of the Earth including buildings, infrastructure, and vegetation. The Copernicus DEM is provided in 3 different instances. Two worldwide coverages at 90m (GLO-90) and 30m (GLO-30) resolution are openly available to the public for download via the PANDA Catalogue and FTP. A further European coverage (EEA-10) is provided at 10m resolution, but data is restricted to eligible users who meet required access rights.Publishing institution: