The factor of safety of a slope along a potential slip surface is the ratio of the shear strength available on the surface to the shear stress required for equilibrium. The slope is stable for and fails when falls to 1. A debris flow is a rapid flow of water-saturated mud, sand, gravel, boulders and wood that moves down a channel as one dense mass, the grains carrying much of its weight, and spreads on the fan at the mouth of the channel.