Slump (geology)
![The slump that destroyed Thistle, Utah, by creating an earthen dam that flooded the area](/Images/godic/202502/13/Thistleslide3325.png")
![Slumped chalk slopes at Mupe Bay, Dorset](/Images/godic/202502/13/Mupe_Bay_cliffs3325.jpg")
A slump is a form of mass wasting that occurs when a coherent mass of loosely consolidated materials or rock layers moves a short distance down a slope. Movement is characterized by sliding along a concave-upward or planar surface. Causes of slumping include earthquake shocks, thorough wetting, freezing and thawing, undercutting, and loading of a slope.