Each dislocation represents a small angular distortion of the lattice, a lot of them together can result in a curved crystal lattice, or a sharp misorientation across a boundary. Dislocations can also act as fast diffusion pathways. The movement of dislocations results in the accumulation of deformation within a crystal. The deformation of a material by the movement of dislocations is known as crystalline plasticity. The distortion around a dislocation provides an energy source for other processes such as grain boundary migration.