Mass wasting as we know is often times not triggered by anything but gravity and the type of soil where they occur. Unfortunately with the amount and intensity of earthquakes in Ecuador, large land/rock slides are often triggered by them. Like earthquakes and volcanoes, mass wasting is a serious hazard for the country. With recorded landslides of 300 meters in length the only way to avoid these scenarios is to stay a long distance from where they could occur. When a large enough earthquake takes place in Ecuador, small to large landslides tend to take place at many different locations. On March 5, 1987 two earthquakes struck eastern part of the county, one a 6.1 magnitude, the other a 6.9. While some structural damage was caused by the quakes, even more damage was caused by mass wasting and flooding. A total estimate of 1 billion dollars was lost when this event took place. Causing buildings to collapse and blocking the path of the only highway from Quito to Ecuador's eastern rain forest and oil fields. The question is what can leadership do to prevent these hazards? Unfortunately these events are often inescapable and undetectable. But homeowners can prevent these situations by making sure their house is built on bedrock and not beneath any steep hills. Also, one who lives on a dwelling at the top of a steep hill must be careful to not add too much weight to the dwelling, such as swimming pool. This causes a greater pull of gravity, hence leading to a form of mass wasting. While not much information could be found on what authority is doing to mitigate these hazards, the fate lies in the hands of the homeowner who must decide if where they are living is safe.
References:
https://www.nap.edu/read/1857/chapter/3#19
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2724623/Ecuador-earthquake-triggers-huge-landslide-quarry-hillside-collapses-workers-killing-two-injuring-eight.html
http://www.scienceclarified.com/everyday/Real-Life-Chemistry-Vol-8/Mass-Wasting.html
