Definition
Flow refers to any phenomenon in which gravity drives rapid downslope motion of solid grains, mixed with less dense intergranular fluid (liquid or gas) in a finite, contiguous grain-fluid body that deforms irreversibly as it moves downslope. (Iverson and Vallance 2001).
Subtypes
Flow phenomena are classified typically according to both types of movement and material properties (Pierson and Costa 1987; Hutchinson 1988; Cruden and Varnes 1996; Hungr et al. 2001). Each process tends to create landforms with a distinctive morphology and internal material structure. This allows inferences on the probable origin of extraterrestrial flow-like deposits through morphological comparisons with apparently similar terrestrial events (e.g., Harrison and Grimm 2002; Collins and Melosh 2003).
Granular Mass Flows
Rapidly moving flow events involving relatively coarse-grained, non-cohesive materials, whether saturated or unsaturated, are referred to collectively as granular mass flows...
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Bovis, M.J. (2015). Flow. In: Hargitai, H., Kereszturi, Á. (eds) Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3134-3_153
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