7. Glossary

Slope

Ground feature with a sloping surface created by clearing or filling.

Slope

Soil element with a naturally sloping surface.

Shear zone

Region in which shear deformations occur during ground or slope failure, when the ground is in its limit state.

Fracture surface (also called sliding surface)

Shear zone or gap in the ground, considered as a surface for simplicity's sake and reduced to a line in the cross-sectional plane studied.