Landslide

Discover related resources in the Understanding Hazards Collection and on the Big Weather page.

What is a landslide?

A landslide is the movement of earth materials (rock, sand, dirt, debris or mud) down a sloping surface, like a mountain or cliff. They can happen rapidly or slowly over a long period of time.

Landslides occur when the materials holding a slope together become weaker than the force of gravity. This causes the materials to travel downwards.

Landslides are classified into 10 types based on how materials move down the slope. These include:

Rotational landslide
Translational landslide
Block slide
Rockfall
Topple
Earthflow
Lateral spread
Debris flow
Debris avalanche
Creep

(US Geological Survey, 2023 )

In Australia, these movements are commonly grouped into four broader categories:

Rockfall
Deep-seated landslide
Debris flow
Shallow landslide

(Queensland Government)

A landslide event can be triggered by hazards that weaken the strength of a slope like earthquakes, tsunamis, floods or volcanic eruptions.

Animated infographic from the USGS titled “Types of Landslides,” showing diagram illustrations of ten different landslide types—rotational, translational, block slide, rockfall, topple, earthflow, lateral spread, debris flow, debris avalanche, and creep—each labelled with a short description and simple cross-section graphics demonstrating how the ground moves.

Types of landslides and how their movement styles. Source: United States Geological Survey Types of Landslides | U.S. Geological Survey (usgs.gov)

By Steven Sobieszczyk (modified by Highland and Johnson, 2024)

A rural road bordered by dense forest shows damage from a landslide, with part of the asphalt collapsed along the edge into a muddy slope. Traffic cones and a barrier mark the hazard, while vehicles are stopped nearby.

Landslides can significantly damage infrastructure like roads. (Source: Queensland Government Landslide | Get Ready Queensland)

Prepare, plan and stay safe

Governments have information about how to stay safe in an earthquake, including dealing with aftershocks.

Queensland

Victoria

Tasmania

New South Wales