Landslide Types and Processes, from the U.S. Geological Survey Fun, Science Activities for You and Your Family , from Science Buddies Landslides: What Causes a Hill to Become Creep-y? Human-caused landslides on the uptick, study finds "The prevalence of landslides in these settings suggests that regulations to protect workers and … The geologic history of an area, as well as activities associated with human occupation, directly determines, or contributes to the con-ditions that lead to slope failure. Drainage pipes installed into slopes can carry away excess water, and impermeable membranes like plastic sheeting can prevent water from building up and dislodging the soil.

Landslides: Human Health Effects. As human impact on the land increases, we both cause more landslides and are increasingly affected by natural ones. A landslide is any geologic process in which gravity causes rock, soil, artificial fill or a combination of the three to move down a slope.

Clearing land for agriculture or construction are some of the human causes of landslides.

Several things can trigger landslides, including the slow weathering of rocks as well as soil erosion, earthquakes and volcanic activity.
M Geertsema, Ministry of Forests and Range, BC, ... landslides caused by earthquakes and floods may, in fact, account for much of the damages and losses. Construction works, legal and illegal mining, as well as the unregulated cutting of hills (carving out land on a slope) caused most of the human-induced landslides.

Human intervention has played a key role in stimulating the natural antecedents of landslides occurring in the study areas. And finally, there are human activities that can expose slopes to erosion and lead to landslides. In some parts of Pennsylvania, landslides are a significant hazard. The effects of landslides on people and structures can be lessened by total avoidance of landslide hazard areas or by restricting, prohibiting, or imposing conditions on hazard-zone activity.
As most This is essentially due to a decrease in the shear strength of the slope material, to an increase in the shear stress borne by the material, or to a combination of the two. The earth or rock might be weak or fracture d, or different layers may have different strengths and stiffness. Landslides have three major causes: geology, morphology, and human activity. Why Do Landslides Occur? The basic causes of slope instability are fairly well known. Landslides can be triggered by both natural and man-induced changes in the environment. Although landslides cannot be avoided entirely, people can do several things to discourage them. Vulnerability to landslide hazards is a function of location, type of human activity, use, and frequency of landslide events. Geology refers to characteristic s of the material itself. Landslides occur when the slope (or a portion of it) undergoes some processes that change its condition from stable to unstable. "We were aware that humans …