Abstract The great variety of climatic conditions, tidal ranges and wave regimes of South and Central America act on a complex geology and tectonic framework. Many of the rock and cliffed coasts of South America are strongly controlled by the occurrence of extensive Cenozoic and Pleistocene sediments that crop out at the coast. Geology and the different uplift rates are a major factor in the whole coastal geomorphology of South and Central America, and consequently are a very important control of the processes and landforms of rock coasts. This chapter covers several aspects of the rock coast of South and Central America, with special attention to the combination of tectonic movements and Quaternary Pleistocene–Holocene sea-level changes.

Abstract The Hunters Crossing landslide is a slow-moving, weathered rock slide affecting a small community of condominiums in the town of Waynesville in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Haywood County, North Carolina. In November 2005, studies were begun to assess the characteristics of this landslide and the potential for further movement and damage to structures. Work included drilling several boreholes, performing seismic velocity surveys, and surveying benchmarks among other investigations. Data indicate that the potential failure surface is located no more than 11 m below the ground surface, possibly at the contact between saprolite and partially weathered rock. However, inclinometers installed at two locations on the slope have not detected enough movement to corroborate that assessment. Studies continue at this site to determine the location of the failure surface, to identify the mechanisms that accelerate movement, and to relate these findings to a broader understanding of weathered rock slides elsewhere in the southeastern USA.