The occurrence and spatial distribution of cover beds are decisive for modern hillslope morphodynamics. This aspect is strongly associated with the geotechnical properties of cover beds and especially with their anisotropy. The impact of periglacial cover beds on mass movements, in particular landslides in subdued mountains, will be discussed in this section. The case studies in this chapter show that soil-physical and soil-mechanical properties significantly influence the forces in periglacial cover beds and, thus, directly control the slope stability. In contrast to long-lasting stable geomorphological factors, the reduction of shear strength, friction angle, and cohesion as well as the deformability may induce abrupt instability. Abrupt instabilities in periglacial cover beds particularly arise, when the soil-water content increases and, consequently, both the pore water and the hydrostatic pressures rise. In particular, we show that landslides to a large extent occur in hillslope sediments which are weakly consolidated and sensitive to water penetration.
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