Rock Falls

The most common type of mass wasting is falling. Rocks, builders, pebbles, and dirt loosened by freezing, weathering, and other forces, simply fall downward, until they hit something that stops their descent.

Often a pile of rocks forms at the bottom of a cliff or mountain. We call a pile of rocks, boulders, and dirt a talus. Very often, these taluses form a cone shape, as they ascend up the side of the mountain.