<P> Solifluction is a collective name for gradual mass wasting slope processes related to freeze - thaw activity . This is the standard modern meaning of solifluction, which differs from the original meaning given to it by Johan Gunnar Andersson in 1906 . </P> <P> In the original sense it meant the movement of waste saturated in water found in periglacial regions . However it was later discovered that various slow waste movements in periglacial regions did not required saturation in water, but were rather associated to freeze - thaw processes . The term solifluction was appropriated to refer to these slow processes, and therefore excludes rapid periglacial movements . In slow periglacial solifluction there are not clear gliding planes, and therefore skinflows and active layer detachments are not included in the concept . On the other hand, movement of waste saturated in water can occur in any humid climate, and therefore this kind of solifluction is not restricted to cold climates . </P> <P> Slow periglacial solifluction is classified into four types: </P>

Solifluction is an important mass wasting process in areas of permafrost