Ideas for Teaching

Vignettes

Vignettes are stand-alone, illustrated electronic case studies that teach about geomorphology, surface processes, and/or Quaternary history. They are short, place-based examples that allow instructors to customize their class' approach to learning. Click here to browse the full collection of Vignettes.

Natural tree death, forest harvest, changes in hillslope hydrology, and implications to slope stability
Death of trees by either forest harvest or by natural forest decline may result in increases in soil saturation, flooding, and landslides. These geomorphic processes, potentially differing in frequency and magnitude for natural and harvested forests, may also differ spatially and temporally by forest type.

The Largest Landslides on Earth
Several studies have underpinned an empirical relationship between landslide frequency and magnitude. According to the data, the largest of these landslides are extremely rare with average return periods well beyond a human lifetime. This vignette explores where we should find the largest of the landslides to have occurred on Earth.

What Do Landslides Have to Do with Carbon Budgets?
Landslides, both natural and human induced, can contribute to either carbon export or sequestration in a watershed. If landslides from upper hillslopes bury soils farther downslope, they can protect that soil carbon from entering the atmosphere. On the other hand, in steep terrains, landslides can strip soil and vegetation off a hillslope and deliver that carbon directly to streams.

Landslide Susceptibility in cuestra scarps of SW-Germany (Swabian Alb)
To predict future developments, and to compile susceptibility maps, it is essential to know about past processes. Ancient landslides essentially contribute to landscape evolution and therefore, the retrospective analysis on the base of detailed field survey is a key to improve the quality of GIS studies.

Impact of Deforestation on Slope Stability
In developing countries world-wide, slope movement risks are likely to grow as increasing population pressure, together with economic development, are forcing more people to move to unstable hillside areas.





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