Gelifluction

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Gelifluction, very similar to solifluction, describes the seasonal freeze-thaw action upon waterlogging topsoils which induces downslope movement. Gelifluction is prominent in peri-glacial regions where snow falls during six to eight months of the year. In spring, the snow and ice melts, and the landscape is effectively inundated with half a year's worth of rainfall in the space of a couple of days. The top soil becomes waterlogged, and flows like a liquid. Because the soil now flows like a liquid, gelifluction is a form of mass movement that can occur on slopes with a slope angle of less than half a degree.