Solifluction, which is also known as soil fluction, is a geological term for a type of mass wasting. In solifluction, there exists 2 layers: an impermeable lower layer, and a sedimentary upper layer. When these layers exist on a hill and the top layer becomes saturated with water, the sediment begins to slowly slide down the hill over the lower layer.
More often than not, it occurs in periglacial environments, where a bottom layer of ice begins to melt, resulting in water saturation of the upper layer and the formation of a "flow".
Be careful not to get solifluction mixed with gelifluction though - gelifluction has a permanently frozen bottom layer, while solifluction doesn't.
Solifluction only occurs during the summer. :)
solifluction
Solifluction typically occurs in areas with permafrost or saturated ground that thaw during warmer periods. It is most commonly observed in Arctic and alpine regions. Factors such as freeze-thaw cycles, steep slopes, and presence of water can trigger solifluction movement.
solifluction
solifluction
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we have soil creep,solifluction,rock falls,earthflows,mud flows
In the summer, the soil thaws to some depth below the surface, but the water is trapped in the thawed soil because the permafrost zone is impermeable. Thus solifluction occurs only in the summer when the surface soil layer is thawed. In the winter the surface soil layer is frozen solid.
Solifluction occurs in periglacial environments, such as areas near the edges of glaciers or in cold regions with frozen ground known as permafrost. It is a type of mass wasting where saturated soil flows slowly downhill over frozen ground due to the combination of thawing and freeze-thaw cycles.
In the summer, the soil thaws to some depth below the surface, but the water is trapped in the thawed soil because the permafrost zone is impermeable. Thus solifluction occurs only in the summer when the surface soil layer is thawed. In the winter the surface soil layer is frozen solid.
Permafrost is permanently frozen ground that significantly impacts the landscape in cold regions. Solifluction is a process where thawed soil and sediment move slowly down slopes due to gravity, often occurring in areas underlain by permafrost. When the upper layers of permafrost thaw during warmer seasons, the saturated soil above can become unstable and flow, leading to solifluction features such as lobes and terraces. Thus, permafrost acts as a barrier that influences the dynamics of soil movement in these regions.
This process is known as longshore drift.