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Slopes

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms

  • 116 Accesses

Definition

Slopes are inclined surfaces.

Synonym

Hillslopes

Morphometry

Slope gradient

is the inclination of the surface of the soil from the horizontal. If the difference in elevation (rise) is 1 m over a horizontal distance (run) of 100 m, slope gradient is 1 %. A slope of 45° is a slope of 100 %, because the difference in elevation between two points 100 m apart horizontally is 100 m on a 45° slope (Soil Survey Division Staff 1993). Savigear (1965) proposed the following slope classes: lowland flats (0–1° slope gradient), flat (1–2°), slope (2–40°), and cliff (>40°). Slope and terrain classes for soil survey in the USA are described in Table 1. See also Acton et al. (1976) for a somewhat different classification.

Table 1 Slope and terrain classes for soil survey in the USA (After Soil Survey Division Staff 1993)
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References

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Planetary Science Research Group, Eötvös Loránd University, Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences, Budapest, Hungary

    Henrik Hargitai

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  1. Henrik Hargitai
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Correspondence to Henrik Hargitai .

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Hargitai, H. (2014). Slopes. In: Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9213-9_560-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-9213-9_560-1

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