Explosive initiation of creative processes in nature

The paper deals with the construction of explosive–fill dams, of which Academician M. A. Lavrent'ev was an enthusiast. His contribution to the construction of the Alma–Ata mud dam is described. The experience of industrial explosions is used to show the possibility of including the potential of nature in human creative activity by means of explosion energy. Large–scale processes of rocksliding and formation of long–range rock avalanches produced by man–made and natural factors are considered. The development of a spontaneous landslide is described using a model of a rigid body with inhomogeneities. As a result, a unified approach to natural and man–made relief–forming processes is proposed. Recommendations for prediction and prevention of disastrous landslides are formulated.