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Verne and Torryuis defined slush flows as “a mudflow-like flowage of water-saturated snow”, according to their observations in northeast Greenland. Other definitions mentioned a dense snow avalanche with at least 25 % of water content, or a rapid mass-movement of water-saturated snow. The water content within the snow-pack is therefore primordial to form the slush and release the flow, that is composed of water saturated snow, rock debris and mud. Since more than 300 years, this specific process has been recognized in a large range of arctic and subarctic areas, as a supraglacial dynamic, a hillside dynamic, and a fluvial/torrential dynamic, caused by snowmelt and/or rainfall. It has also been described in lower latitudes mountainous environments, as it is expected in all areas that encounter seasonal snow-cover; their occurrence is nevertheless more seldom in such environments.

From the literature, slush-flow characteristics could be inventoried. Favourable terrain for slush-flow occurrence is drainage basin and depression or gullies in mountain slopes. It is expected at locations where pond water can easily accumulate and where the water input is higher than the output. Accordingly, the starting zone is often a stream channel, or a shallow depression, but it could be an open slope as well. Therefore, the slush-flow track can be a channel, or an open slope, or alternatively defined and undefined. A slush flow could be released even on very gentle slopes, as the slope angle is not the main triggering factor. From a geomorphic point of view, slush flows are a significant agent, responsible of erosion, entrainment, transportation and deposition of large amount of material. Due to its content in water, slush flows are expected to occur in the springtime, during the break-up period and during accelerated snowmelt correlated to solar radiation. It could also happen during the winter months, when the snow covered area experiences warm-front intrusion and rainfall.

This paper focus on meteorological conditions that initiate hillslope slush flows, and emphasizes its geomorphologic impact. Furthermore, it discusses its triggering and geomorphic characteristics, compared with those reported from other areas. The selected study area is one of the three communities of northwestern Norway where slush flows have been reported during the last century.

Following the recommendations suggested by Sonz, we use the term of “slush flow” as we are here studying a small-scale and confined drainage basin, instead of “slush avalanche”, that should be only applied to major event, travelling several hundreds of meters (up to 2 km).