库岸深层老滑坡间歇性复活的动力学机制研究

库岸深层老滑坡在季节性降雨和周期性库水位变动联合作用下往往表现出间歇性复活特征。在这一复活过程中,滑动期与间歇期交替出现,滑带土经历不同速率的剪切和不同时长的固结。从滑动期内残余强度的剪切速率效应、间歇期内峰值抗剪强度的恢复特征以及间歇期过渡到滑动期的孔隙水压力触发过程3个方面着手,建立了描述库岸深层老滑坡间歇性复活的动力学方程。塘角村1号滑坡滑带土试样的环剪试验结果显示：残余强度在较小速率范围内表现出负速率效应,而当剪切速率达到一定值后残余强度不再减小,且有微弱增长趋势;峰值强度在短时间内有较明显的恢复,但在较小位移后衰减至残余强度;孔隙水压力触发剪切破坏的发生滞后于所施加的水压力,这一滞后过程为孔隙水压力的扩散过程。基于试验成果,根据所建立的动力学方程,对库岸深层老滑坡间歇性复活的动力学机制进行了讨论,从而为此类滑坡的预测和防灾减灾提供有价值的参考。     

Dynamic properties of earthquake-induced large-scale rapid landslides within past landslide masses

During the 2004 Mid-Niigata Prefecture earthquake, thousands of landslides were triggered, among them two large-scale rapid landslides (Higashi Takezawa and Terano landslides) occurred within past landslide masses and dammed the river at the toe of the landslides, posing great risks for the society. Detailed field investigation was performed on these two landslides. To examine the triggering and movement mechanisms, samples were taken from these two landslides. By using a ring shear apparatus, real earthquake wave loading test and cyclic loading tests were performed on these samples. The test results revealed that those sand samples from both landslides can suffer from sliding surface liquefaction phenomenon with very low final apparent friction angles, while the silt sample from Terano landslide showed no liquefaction failure, indicating that the sliding surfaces of these rapid landslides must have been formed within the sand layer in the past landslide masses.     

高速远程地震黄土滑坡发生机制试验研究

1920年海原大地震触发了多处典型高速远程地震黄土滑坡,本文在对西吉党家岔滑坡进行野外调研的基础上,采集了具有代表性的滑带土作为试验样品,以1940年5月18日美国帝国谷强震记录作为波动输入,利用DPRI环剪试验机,对该滑坡的发生机制进行了一系列环剪试验研究。结果表明,地震发生时,坡体潜在滑面的滑带土在强震作用下发生的滑动面液化（Sliding surface liquefaction）现象是导致高速远程滑坡形成的一个重要因素。伴随着滑动面液化过程,滑体产生了逐渐增大的剪切位移及孔隙水压力（地震力作用结束瞬间已分别达到2.03m及104kPa）,并获得了较大的速度,为高速远程滑坡的发生提供了条件。     

Identification of failure slip surfaces for landslide risk assessment using smoothed particle hydrodynamics

ABSTRACT

Location of failure slip surfaces plays a critical role in landslide risk assessment and mitigation, particularly for unstable slopes, because it is a key input to design of stabilisation measures for unstable slopes and it determines the volume of the sliding soil mass (i.e. landslide consequence). The failure slip surfaces in the numerical analysis (e.g. finite element/different method, FEM/FDM) are often identified using shear strength reduction (SSR) method. A careful examination of FEM results showed that, although the SSR method performs well for stable slopes, it might provide misleading results for unstable slopes. To properly locate failure slip surfaces for unstable slopes, this paper presents a particle-based numerical method called smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH), which is mesh-free, immune to the mesh distortion problem in FEM/FDM, and able to directly simulate large deformation of soils that occurs during landslides. A series of slope stability analyses is performed using an in-house SPH programme. Failure slip surfaces are properly identified by SPH for both stable and unstable slopes. Furthermore, because SPH provides a spatial distribution of the post-landslide large displacement of soils, the failure slip surfaces can be identified conveniently using soil displacement. A displacement-based criterion is proposed to locate the failure slip surfaces.     

Correlation between incompetent beds and slope deformation at Badong town in the Three Gorges reservoir, China

Badong town is a new immigration area in the Three Gorges reservoir, China, which is built on many giant deep-seated landslides. In this region, the slope deformation is very severe and it is strongly correlated with the incompetent beds, which are distributed widely in the rock mass. In this paper, two giant deep-seated translational rock landslides used as study cases are Huangtupo landslide and Zhaoshuling landslide. Firstly, the composition materials, structures and deformation characteristics of the two landslides are analyzed. Then, the position, structure, mineral composition and the formation mechanism of the incompetent beds are studied in detail. Finally, based on the comparison of the position, mineral and structure between incompetent beds and sliding zones of the landslides, the correlations between incompetent beds and giant landslide are discussed. The results indicate that 13 large incompetent beds exist in the middle Triassic Badong Formation strata, which can be divided into three types as weak interlayers, crushed beds and groundwater corrosion zones. The dominant minerals in the incompetent beds are illite, chlorite, quartz and calcite. The contents of the clay minerals in different positions are quite distinct, and the maximum difference of clay content exceeds 70 %. In addition, it is found that the contents of minerals in incompetent beds are similar to the slide zones of the landslides. The initial deformation of slopes normally developed along the incompetent beds, which induced subsequent shear displacement easily. Under the effect of gravity, the deep slip zones were generated mainly along the incompetent beds and the failure mode evolved from creep to integral slide gradually. The results can provide an important reference for the mechanism analysis and prevention of landslides in Badong town.     

Coupling fluvial processes and landslide distribution toward geomorphological hazard assessment: a case study in a transient landscape in Japan

This study quantified the relationship among deep-seated gravitational slope deformations (DGSDs), landslides, and river rejuvenation in the upper reaches of the Kumano River in the Kii Mountains of Japan, an area of frequent bedrock landslides. River profiles and hillslope landforms were examined, and high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) were used to identify DGSDs and landslides. Many of the deep-seated landslides were associated with rainstorms in 1889 and 2011. Landslide volumes were related to landslide areas on the basis of 52 deep-seated landslides that failed during the 2011 rainfall, providing basic data for landscape denudation and sediment yield. River rejuvenation occurred stepwise, incising moderate relief paleosurfaces and forming two series of knickpoints and V-shaped inner gorges that are up to 400-m deep. More than 65% of DGSDs and 75% of the landslides were located in association with the incised inner gorges along the peripheries of the paleosurfaces or were entirely contained within the inner gorges. DGSDs and landslides associated with the incised inner valley slopes tended to be larger than those developed within the paleosurfaces and may be long-term transient hillslope responses to river incision. Hillslope undercutting caused by rejuvenated river incision may play an important role in long-term slope stability and distribution of mass movements, and could serve as an indicator of landslide hazard.     

Seismic landslides hazard zoning based on the modified Newmark model: a case study from the Lushan earthquake,China

Seismically triggered landslides can cause great damage to the road construction in mountainous areas. The permanent displacement analysis based on Newmark sliding-block model can evaluate risk of these landslides from the perspective of deformation damage and overall failure probability of slopes. However, the sliding-block model does not consider the attenuation effect of the shear strength on the sliding surface during earthquake, causing the calculated value of Jibson method to be less than the actual value. Therefore, the Newmark model was modified by adding attenuation coefficients to the effective internal friction angle and the effective cohesion of geologic units. The landslide areal density was proposed for hazard zoning with the Wenchuan earthquake data. The results showed that the predicted values agreed well with the real distribution of the landslides triggered by the Lushan earthquake. The proposed hazard zoning method in this paper can predict the severity of seismic landslides in consideration of the environmental changes in mountainous regions after the earthquake and provide support for the site selection in highly seismic areas.

     

汶川八级地震地质灾害研究

汶川地震触发了15000多处滑坡、崩塌、泥石流,估计直接造成2万人死亡。地质灾害隐患点达10000余多处,以崩塌体增加最为显著,反映出地震对山区高陡斜坡的影响差异性非常大,在山顶上的放大作用非常显著。通过综合分析堰塞湖库容、滑坡坝高以及坝体物质组成和结构,对地震形成的33处坝高大于10m的滑坡堰塞湖进行了评估,划分出极高、高、中和低4种溃决危险。汶川地震滑坡滑床往往不具连续平整的滑面,尖点撞击是极震区滑坡的一大共性,可以分为勺型滑床、凸型滑床和阶型滑床等类型。据实地调查,滑坡附近震毁建筑物垂向震动非常明显,具有地震抛掷撞击崩裂高速滑流三阶段特征。在高速滑流中,发生3种效应:(1)高速气垫效应,滑坡体由较大块石和土构成,具有一定厚度,飞行行程可达1~3km;(2)碎屑流效应,撞击粉碎的土石呈流动状态,特别是含水丰富时,形成长程流滑;(3)铲刮效应,巨大撞击力导致下部岩体崩裂,形成新滑坡、崩塌,但是,其厚度不大,滑床起伏不平。本文以北川城西滑坡和青川东河口滑坡为例,分析了地震滑坡高速远程滑动及成灾机理。北川县城城西滑坡导致1600人被埋死亡,数百间房屋被毁,是汶川地震触发的最严重的滑坡灾难,举世罕见。青川东河口滑坡碎屑流是汶川地震触发的较为典型的高速远程复合型滑坡,滑程约2400m,高速碎屑流冲抵清江河左岸,形成滑坡坝,致使7个村庄被埋,约400人死亡。     

Landslides triggered by the 22 July 2013 Minxian–Zhangxian,China, Mw 5.9 earthquake: Inventory compiling and spatial distribution analysis

On July 22, 2013, an earthquake of Ms. 6.6 occurred at the junction area of Minxian and Zhangxian counties, Gansu Province, China. This earthquake triggered many landslides of various types, dominated by small-scale soil falls, slides, and topples on loess scarps. There were also a few deep-seated landslides, large-scale soil avalanches, and fissure-developing slopes. In this paper, an inventory of landslides triggered by this event is prepared based on field investigations and visual interpretation of high-resolution satellite images. The spatial distribution of the landslides is then analyzed. The inventory indicates that at least 2330 landslides were triggered by the earthquake. A correlation statistics of the landslides with topographic, geologic, and earthquake factors is performed based on the GIS platform. The results show that the largest number of landslides and the highest landslide density are at 2400 m–2600 m of absolute elevation, and 200 m–300 m of relative elevation, respectively. The landslide density does not always increase with slope gradient as previously suggested. The slopes most prone to landslides are in S, SW, W, and NW directions. Concave slopes register higher landslide density and larger number of landslides than convex slopes. The largest number of landslides occurs on topographic position with middle slopes, whereas the highest landslide density corresponds to valleys and lower slopes. The underlying bedrocks consisting of conglomerate and sandstone of Lower Paleogene (E^b) register both the largest number and area of landslides and the highest landslide number and area density values. Correlations of landslide number and landslide density with perpendicular- and along-strike distance from the epicenter show an obvious spatial intensifying character of the co-seismic landslides. The spatial pattern of the co-seismic landslides is strongly controlled by a branch of the Lintan-Dangchang fault, which indicates the effect of seismogenic fault on co-seismic landslides. In addition, the area affected by landslides related to the earthquake is compared to the relationship of “area affected by landslides vs. earthquake magnitude” constructed based on earthquakes worldwide, and it is shown that the area affected by landslides triggered by the Minxian–Zhangxian earthquake is larger than that of almost all other events with similar magnitudes.     

Evaluation of landslide triggering mechanisms in model fill slopes

Hong Kong is particularly susceptible to landslide risk due to the steep natural topography and prolonged periods of high intensity rainfall. Compounding the risk of slope failure is the existence of loose fill slopes which were constructed prior to the 1970s by end-tipping. A clear understanding of the underlying triggering mechanisms of fast landslides in fill slopes is required to analyse landslide risk and to optimise slope stabilisation strategies. The work described here had the objective of evaluating two candidate triggering mechanisms—static liquefaction and the transition from slide to flow due to localised transient pore water pressures—against observations of slope behaviour obtained from highly instrumented centrifuge model tests. These results indicate that static liquefaction is unlikely to occur if the model fill is unsaturated and the depth to bedrock large, as the high compressibility and mobility of air in the unsaturated void spaces allows the model fill slope to accommodate wetting collapse without initiating undrained failure. In contrast, high-speed failures with low-angle run-outs are shown to be easily triggered in model fill slopes from initially slow moving slips driven by localised transient pore water pressures arising from constricted seepage and material layering.     

位移-应力协同分析在新近纪软岩质滑坡监测中的应用——以陕西宝鸡市北坡滑坡为例

强降雨可诱发新近纪软岩质滑坡滑移变形。1955年至今,降雨在陕西宝鸡诱发超过十起大型滑坡灾害。2011年9月19日,宝鸡市区72 h内的降雨量达到332 mm,北坡金鼎寺、簸箕山与高家崖滑坡出现裂缝,威胁市区居民安全。为分析滑坡的变形机制与降雨触发的滑体内地下水位的波动关系,2012—2015年,开展了降雨量、地下水位、孔隙水压力、滑坡应力与位移等物理量的实时监测,统计分析了它们的频率、活动强度及累积变化规律,提出了滑坡的位移扩展模型。研究显示:(1)地下水的活动会影响新近纪软岩质滑坡的变形,但降雨量、地下水位、孔隙水压力、滑坡体应力与位移等物理量变化机制有差异,地下水位、孔隙水压力呈周期性变化,滑坡体的应力、位移的变化具有累积效应;(2)宝鸡市北坡滑坡运动变形具有蠕变、快速滑移两个阶段。降雨会触发的滑坡体各物理量出现加速变化,地下水位波动幅度为0.27~1m,孔隙水压力的变化幅度为10kPa,滑体浅层的水平应力变化幅度为5.6kPa;(3)在判断降雨能否诱发滑坡快速滑移过程中,既需分析滑体应力、位移变化的累积效应,又需分析新近纪软岩质滑带的摩擦破坏机制。     

甘肃黑方台滑坡类型与活动特征研究

由于农业灌溉水的长期入渗软化作用,1984-2019年甘肃黑方台已频繁发生滑坡灾害约150次,沿黄土塬边形成长约10公里的滑坡密集发育带。滑坡类型以中、小型黄土层内滑坡为主,占90%以上;大、中型黄土-泥岩顺层滑坡次之。黄土层内滑坡速度快、滑程远,突发性、频发性、继发性强;黄土-泥岩顺层滑坡速度慢、滑程近、复活性强。高陡的台缘地形和强度低、水敏感性强的岩土体和岩层倾向坡外的地质结构是滑坡发生的基础,台塬区长期大量的农业灌溉是主要引发因素,大量水体入渗软化斜坡岩土体,使抗剪强度降低,并形成了约20多米厚的饱和软弱基座,导致斜坡失稳滑动,侧压力、季节性冻结滞水和溶滤作用等也有一定影响。黄土层内滑坡高速远程滑动的主要原因是：滑坡剪出口位置高,滑动势能大,释放条件好,剪出口下部有陡坡加速段和开阔、平缓的滑动空间,滑体底部饱和软弱黏性土持续产生超孔隙水压力、液化等低摩阻效应,是远程滑动的润滑剂。黄土-泥岩顺层滑坡的主滑面沿外倾15°左右的泥岩层面发育,且剪出口位于斜坡下部坡脚部位,能量释放条件差,决定了黄土-泥岩顺层滑坡的滑动速度较低、滑动距离较短,滑体易再次复活滑动。     

Temporal evolution of weathered cataclastic material in gravitational faults of the La Clapiere deep-seated landslide by mechanical approach

After a few years of research, the observation and the analysis of the deep-seated landslides suggest that these are mainly controlled by tectonic structures, which play a dominant role in the deformation of massif slopes. The La Clapière deep-seated landslide (Argentera Mercantour massif) is embedded in a deep-seated gravitational slope deformation affecting the entire slope, and characterized by specific landforms (trenches, scarps??). Onsite, the tangential displacement direction of the trenches and the scarps are controlled by the tectonic structures. The reactivation of the inherited fault in gravitational faults create a gouge material exposed to an additional mechanical and chemical weathering as well as an increased of leaching. The displacement of these reactivated faults gets increasingly important around the area of the La Clapière landslide and this since 3.6?ka BP. In this study, mechanical analysis and grain size distributions were performed and these data were analysed according to their proximity the La Clapiere landslide and times of initiation of the landslide by ¹⁰Be dating. Triaxial test results show that the effective cohesion decreases and the effective angle of internal friction increases from the unweathered area to the weathered area. The whole distribution of the grain size indicates that the further the shear zone is open or developed, the further the residual material loses its finest particles. This paper suggests that the mechanical evolution along the reactivated fault is influenced by the leaching processes. For the first time, we can extract from these data temporal behaviour of the two main mechanical parameters (cohesion and angle of internal friction) from the beginning of the La Clapiere landslide initiation (3.6 ka BP) to now.     

Bedding-controlled coastal landslides in Southeast Britain between Axmouth and the Thames Estuary

The coastline of Southeast Britain is formed in sedimentary rocks of Jurassic, Cretaceous and Tertiary age, the majority of these deposits containing thick strata of mudrocks, which have very low angles of dip. Where these strata are appropriately exposed, particularly at the foot of a coastal slope, they give rise to landslides where all or part of the sliding surface follows a single bed of mudrock. Where the dip of the bedding is steep, such landslides are referred to as dip-slope failures. However, landslides where the basal sliding surface is controlled by the location and orientation of a single argillaceous bed in the sequence are better termed bedding-controlled landslides. In addition, where coastal slopes contain several layers of mudrocks, geometrically similar landslides may occur with perched slide surfaces breaking out at a higher level within the slopes. Landslides with strong bedding-controlled basal shear surfaces are the predominant form of instability along the southeast coastline of Britain. Many of the individual landslide cases used in this paper have been studied separately over many years. The general similarity of the different records is discussed, drawing important inferences on a number of aspects of these landslides with a variety of basal sliding surface geometries.     

汶川地震黄洞子沟右岸大型滑坡地质构造特征及成因

"5·12"汶川地震发生于龙门山逆冲构造带映秀-北川断裂,此次地震沿约300 km地表破裂带触发了大型滑坡百余处,其中大光包滑坡、红石沟滑坡和老鹰岩滑坡发育于绵阳安州区黄洞子沟右岸不到5 km区段内,规模均超过千万方,且大光包滑坡是此次地震中最大滑坡,也是世界罕见的巨型滑坡。本研究通过大量现场照片、遥感影像和实地测绘,结合XRD、岩石薄片手段在此3个滑坡滑源区展开了详细的地质调查。结果表明:（1）先期深埋的中-缓倾构造层带为大光包滑坡提供了潜在侧滑面,与岩体结构面组合触发了大光包大型楔形体破坏;（2）红石沟滑坡发育于含多级角砾、糜棱质次级错动带的碎裂结构坡体,地震中这些倾坡外的次级错动带快速贯通形成滑坡底滑面;（3）老鹰岩滑坡主控于厚层陡倾构造带,地震中该带沿走向拉裂破坏,加之两侧陡倾结构面组合切割触发了老鹰岩大型楔形体破坏。研究进一步发现,红石沟斜坡紧临大水闸背斜轴部、老鹰岩和大光包斜坡位于其两翼,认为该背斜构造对研究区斜坡地震稳定性有较大影响。本研究仅揭示了3个典型地质构造滑坡类型,汶川地震百余处大型滑坡地质构造成因有待进一步研究。     

降雨诱发深层老滑坡复活变形的动态作用机制

强降雨易引发大型深层老滑坡的复活变形,研究其作用机制对建立滑坡变形破坏的降雨阈值,实现滑坡灾害的预警预报具有重要意义.以三峡库区秭归县谭家湾大型深层老滑坡为例,在地表宏观裂缝时空分布规律的精细描述基础上,结合15年的人工监测和2年的实时监测数据,分析了老滑坡的复活变形特征和发展过程.通过滑坡阶跃阶段的位移与降雨（当前降雨和前期降雨）的相关性分析,提出了降雨对深层滑坡复活变形演化过程的动态作用机制.谭家湾滑坡的7次“阶跃”变形与强降雨相关,但累积位移增量与累积降雨量无明显正相关关系,水平位移增量基本相同时,累积降雨量明显不同.引起第一次阶跃变形的累积降雨量和最大日降雨量均明显大于后续阶段,可能受控于强降雨的作用机制由“孔隙渗流”为主,逐渐转变为“渗透性增加的孔隙渗流+裂隙优势流”的综合渗流模式.这对进一步深入研究强降雨诱发深层老滑坡阶跃变形的内在机理与灾害预警具有一定的理论意义和参考价值.      

Recent landslides on the Istrian Peninsula, Croatia

This study presents a review of recently recorded instability phenomena on the flysch slopes of Istria, Croatia. The northeastern part of the Istrian Peninsula, the so-called Gray Istria, is built of Paleogene flysch deposits, where instability phenomena are frequent and where a large number of landslides, with significant consequences, have been recorded over the past 35 years. Based on field investigations conducted for the purpose of remedial study design, a database of these landslides was created. An investigation of the documented landslides and their elements found some common features that enabled general conclusions about the conditions and causes of landslide occurrence. In total, 19 documented landslides have been analyzed as individual phenomena, and from the results of these analyses, general conclusions were drawn about sliding conditions and the main triggering factors. Geological conditions and processes on slopes where landslides occurred are shown in detail, and geotechnical properties have been systematically represented. The sliding conditions and dimensions of four recent landslide occurrences, specifically by type, have been described in detail and analyzed.     

Yielding mechanism of shallow mass movements in completely decomposed Norwood Tuff: the Zigzag Sign landslide,Utah

Over the past decade, land development activities on hillsides in northern Utah have resulted in a significant increase in landslide activity throughout the region. The majority of recent landslides are shallow and they occurred on cut gentle slopes especially during spring and early summer due to snowmelt induced elevated groundwater tables. The geologic material documented at numerous landslide sites is a soft gray-green completely decomposed Norwood Tuff. The present study addresses the mechanism of a shallow landslide in completely decomposed Norwood Tuff based on field, laboratory and numerical investigations. Detailed slope surface geometry obtained from laser-scan surveys together with strength and stress–strain parameters derived from laboratory triaxial tests on undisturbed samples of completely decomposed Norwood Tuff collected from the landslide site are employed with finite-element modeling to examine the effects of ground surface deformation patterns on the yielding behavior of the slide mass. The numerical results indicate a gradual retreat of the yield zone with progressive landslide deformation, which eventually becomes concentrated within the accumulation zone of the landslide, compared to a well-developed yield zone within the entire slide mass at the onset of landslide movement. Limit equilibrium stability analyses along potential sliding surfaces of extent limited within the yield zone of the displaced slide mass produce lower safety factors than an analysis based on the original sliding surface comprising the entire slide mass.     

Geological and geomorphological characteristics of landslides triggered by the 2004 Mid Niigta prefecture earthquake in Japan

The 2004 Mid Niigta prefecture earthquake (M_JMA 6.8) triggered more than one thousand landslides in the Miocene to Quaternary sedimentary rocks in Japan. The most common landslides were shallow disrupted landslides on steep slopes, which has been common in many previous disastrous earthquakes in the world. The Mid Niigta prefecture earthquake also triggered more than one hundred deep landslides, providing valuable information on the conditions for their occurrence. A field investigation and the interpretation of aerial photographs taken before and after the earthquake suggest that reactivation of existing landslides and undercutting of slopes are the most important factors for deep landslides to be triggered by earthquakes. In addition, planar sliding surfaces seem to be essential for the generation of catastrophic landslides triggered by this earthquake. Planar bedding–parallel sliding surfaces were formed at the boundary between the overlying permeable sandstone and underlying siltstone or along the bedding planes of alternating beds of sandstone and siltstone. Sliding surfaces along the slope-parallel oxidation front were formed in the area of black mudstone. New landslides (rockslide-avalanches) occurred with the sliding surfaces in a several-cm thick tuff interbedded in siltstone. One rockslide-avalanche occurred on a slope where buckling deformation preceded the earthquake. Gentle valley bottom sediments were mobilized in many locations, probably because they were saturated and partial liquefaction had occurred due to the earthquake shaking.     

A simplified method for predicting rainfall-induced mobility of active landslides

This paper deals with the landslides that are reactivated by a groundwater level increase owing to rainfall. These landslides are usually characterized by low displacement rate with deformations essentially concentrated within a narrow shear zone above which the unstable soil mass moves like a rigid body (i.e., with a horizontal displacement profile that is essentially constant with depth). In view of this evidence, a new method based on a simple sliding block model is proposed in the present study for a preliminary evaluation of landslide mobility. Unlike other existing methods that provide an evaluation of landslide mobility on the basis of groundwater level measurements, the present method directly relates landslide movements to rain recordings. This possibility constitutes a significant advantage from a practical viewpoint because it allows future displacement scenarios to be predicted from expected rainfall scenarios. In addition, the present method requires a limited number of parameters as input data, many of which can be obtained from conventional geotechnical tests. To evaluate the other parameters involved, an efficient calibration procedure is also proposed. Four case studies documented in the literature are analyzed to assess the capability of the present method to reproduce the main features of the slope response to rainfall. In all these case studies, both groundwater level variations and landslide displacements observed in field are well approximated by the method.