On Feb. 7, the Butler Eagle reported “LA sees nearly 400 mudslides.” News flash! In reality, there is no such thing as a “mudslide,” a term which exists only in the minds of media folks. Mud doesn’t slide — it flows, like wet concrete being poured in a foundation. Don’t believe me? Look at any video provided by TV news programs. The mud is clearly flowing, not sliding. In a slide (think ice skates on ice, or a car sliding on an icy bridge), the material or object moving (sliding) more or less maintains its shape. Mud has no “shape.” It is incoherent.

The misnomer probably derives from a catchall nonspecific term “landslide” used for any mass of rock or soil that moves downhill. So, when media folks see a mess of mud flowing downhill, they call it a “mudslide” even though it is clearly flowing.

Please avoid the term “mudslide.” Call it what it obviously is: a mud flow!

Sincerely,

Dr. Charles H. Shultz, Boyers

Professor Emeritus, Slippery Rock University