A viable rheological model should consist of both a time-independent part and a time-dependent part. A generalized viscoplastic fluid model that has both parts as well as two major rheological properties (i. e. , the normal stress effect and soil yield criteria) is shown to be sufficiently accurate, yet practical, for general use in debris flow modeling. Other rheological models, such as the Bingham plastic fluid model and the so-called Coulomb-viscous model, are compared in terms of the generalized viscoplastic fluid model.