In the previous soil chapters all processes have been assumed to occur only in the vertical direction. The only lateral movement of soil was through erosion and deposition at the surface occurring as a result of fluvial or aeolian processes. The soil profile itself did not move down or across the slope. In this chapter we will begin the discussion of how the soil profile may move down the slope. Specifically this chapter is about soil creep. Other processes such as debris flows, slumps, and landslides, all of which move soil (and potentially the underlying saprolite and bedrock) downslope at high speed will be discussed in Chapter 13.