The federation
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Ground movements
Due to their frequency and sometimes very large volumes in young mountain ranges (Himalayas, Andes, Alps...), rock falls, such as landslides, are among the major natural hazards. The rupture of the ground they imply takes place on surfaces of mechanical weakness that are present in almost all rock masses. These result either from the genesis of the rock mass (stratification plans of sedimentary rocks, thermal retreat cracks of magmatic rocks...), or from the tectonic history of rock masses (fractures and faults of all sizes, linked to the movements of tectonic plates).