ABSTRACT
Three types of weathering profiles as basic causes of shallow landslides have been identified and their formative processes and roles in generating landslides have been discussed. These are weathering profiles of marine sedimentary rocks; granite that has been moderately weathered in geologic time and weathered again from young slope surfaces; and non-welded or moderately welded pyroclastic flow deposits. Each type of these weathering profiles has a well-defined weathering front, above which materials are apt to fail.
