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Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms pp 1–7Cite as

Topple

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Definition

Topple failure involves the forward rotation and movement of a mass of rock, ice, earth (regolith), or debris out of a slope at a point or axis below the center of gravity of the displaced mass. This occurs without a transport medium by free falling, rolling, or bouncing on the surface.

Process

This kind of slope failure generally occurs around an axis (or point) at or near the base of the block of rock. It involves the overturning of interacting columns.

Category

A type of mass movement (Varnes 1978).

Morphometry

On Earth, topples may involve fragments that range from 1 to 10 m3. Toppling requires relatively steep slopes beneath a cliff’s edge if a large angular displacement of the failed rock is to occur.

Subtypes

Toppling occurs in rock, debris, and soil. Types of toppling in these materials include flexural, block flexure, and tension crack. This type of movement can subsequently cause the mass to fall or slide (Varnes 1978; Dikau et al. 1996):

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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geophysical Flow Observatory Joint Center for Earth Systems Technology with NASA GSFC, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, MD, USA

    M. H. K. Bulmer

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  1. M. H. K. Bulmer
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Correspondence to M. H. K. Bulmer .

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Bulmer, M.H.K. (2014). Topple. In: Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9213-9_379-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9213-9_379-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-9213-9

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Earth and Environm. ScienceReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Earth and Environmental Sciences

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