Slope failure and denudation in the western Himalaya

Slope failures, glaciers, and rivers constitute the three main agents of de nudation in the Himalaya. Failure of slopes is strongly controlled by bedro ck geology, especially at plate terrane boundaries, although climatic and s eismic controls of failure also occur. Slope-failure complexes in the weste rn Himalaya studied for this report include the Pakhar, Kaghan, Nanga Parba t, and Atabad Hunza areas, with 23 different slope failures reported within all the complexes. Quantification of denudation by mass movement requires measurement of volumes and determination of timing of sediment emplacement and removal where possible, to obtain better data on recurrence intervals a nd total geomorphic work performed in formation of the landscape. The relat ion of mass movement to overall denudation by glaciers and rivers, and its role in catastrophic floods and debris entrainment is assessed. (C) 1998 Pu blished by Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.