Question

Why is a mass movement of mud called a flow?

Answer 1

In terms of a deeper scientific reason, I am not sure, but the basic reason is quite simple. "Mud" tends to look like a mix between a solid, dirt, and a liquid, water or some other liquid. Since it is, in fact, a cross between a solid and a liquid, it has properties of both. It has certain physical and visual properties that only a solid would have, such as texture and opaqueness, but it also has physical properties of a liquid. Since it leans more towards the liquid side than the solid side, we say mud "flows" rather than saying that it "rolls" or "bounces".