Contents of Why study landslides?

Many geologic processes move rock and rock fragments downslope. Streams, wind, and glaciers all shape landscapes.
Landslide is a generic term for gravity-driven downslope movement of rock and regolith.
Falling, flowing, sliding masses of rock and regolith are found all across Earth.
While catastrophic landslides are infrequent, they do occur. Their infrequence can lead to a false sense of security, so it is important to have a real understanding of these processes.
In the U.S. alone, landslides have an impact on the order of 1 to 2 billion dollars annually—not to mention injury and loss of life.

Why study landslides?