In considering whether landslides are a constructive or destructive force we need to
look at what might be created or destroyed by one. Depending on where it occurs, a
landslide may destroy:




a hillside
vegetation such as a forest
buildings
roads
It may also create:





a lake (by creating a new dam)
a plain (by filling in part of a valley or leveling a slope)
a scree ((by removing vegetation)
a mudpile
a rockpile.
We generally consider landslides as destructive, because although they may create
things, they do destroy other things in the process, and these are things we are used to
having there or desire to have there. They also cause temporary chaos and are
unplanned, so their destructive aspect is much more significant.
In considering whether landslides are a constructive or destructive force we need to
look at what might be created or destroyed by one. Depending on where it occurs, a
landslide may destroy:




a hillside
vegetation such as a forest
buildings
roads
It may also create:





a lake (by creating a new dam)
a plain (by filling in part of a valley or leveling a slope)
a scree ((by removing vegetation)
a mudpile
a rockpile.
We generally consider landslides as destructive, because although they may create
things, they do destroy other things in the process, and these are things we are used to
having there or desire to have there. They also cause temporary chaos and are
unplanned, so their destructive aspect is much more significant.