While travelling to a hilly region, you notice a massive boulder, which was loosened by heavy rains and moved downhill. This has resulted due to which of the following processes? 1. Mass wasting 2. Erosion 3. Weathering Select the correct answer using the code given below.

The movement of a massive boulder downhill due to gravity, especially when triggered by heavy rains, is a classic example of mass wasting [3]. Mass wasting is the downslope movement of rock and soil under the direct influence of gravity, often aided by the lubricating action of rainwater [5]. This process is also considered a specific form of erosion, as erosion involves the physical removal and transportation of weathered material by agents including gravity [5]. Furthermore, weathering is the prerequisite process that loosens or breaks down the rock from the bedrock, making it susceptible to movement [5]. While mass wasting can occur on unweathered slopes, it is most active over weathered materials where physical disintegration has already occurred [3]. Therefore, the movement of the boulder involves the initial breakdown (weathering), the gravitational movement (mass wasting), and the resulting transportation (erosion) [5].

Sources

1. [2] Physical Geography by PMF IAS, Manjunath Thamminidi, PMF IAS (1st ed.) > Chapter 6: Geomorphic Movements > Mass Wasting (Slope Failure) or Mass Movements > p. 85
2. [3] FUNDAMENTALS OF PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY, Geography Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 5: Geomorphic Processes > MASS MOVEMENTS > p. 42
3. [5] https://www.dnr.sc.gov/geology/pdfs/education/Weathering%20and%20Erosion.pdf