Which factor can influence the speed of mass movement on slopes?

The influence of slope steepness on the speed of mass movement is significant because steeper slopes create a greater gravitational force acting on materials, which can lead to faster movement. When the angle of the slope increases, the forces pulling material downwards overcome frictional resistance more effectively, allowing for processes such as landslides, rockfalls, or mudflows to occur more rapidly.

In geology and geomorphology, this is critical in understanding how various materials behave on slopes. For instance, on very steep slopes, loose soil and rocks can become unstable, causing them to give way more quickly. Various forms of mass movement, such as debris flow or avalanche, are primarily driven by slope steepness.

While factors like temperature variation, humidity levels, and wind speed may have their own impacts on slope stability and erosion processes, they do not directly influence the rate of mass movement as fundamentally as slope steepness does. Therefore, the steepness of a slope remains a primary determinant in how quickly materials can move down it.