Mechanical aspects of flow-like movements in granular and fine grained soils

Experience shows that slope movements occurring in similar geomorphogical contexts may display very different styles and magnitude. This has important practical implications, since the risk associated with a landslide depends just on its magnitude. The paper discusses the mechanics of slope failure in coarse-grained and in fine-grained soils with particular reference to flow-like landslides, showing that even small details can affect their movement pattern.