Which type of mass wasting event, involving the rapid and destructive flow of saturated debris down a steep mountain channel, is a major natural hazard in both the Andes and the Himalayas of Uttarakhand?

💡 Solution & Explanation

Debris flows are rapid, highly destructive movements of water-saturated soil, rock, and organic matter down steep mountain channels, often triggered by heavy cloudbursts or glacial lake outbursts in regions like Uttarakhand. Soil creep and solifluction are extremely slow gravity-driven movements, while rock glaciers move imperceptibly over decades. Debris flows present severe hazards to infrastructure in steep mountain terrain globally.