Deep-seated failure propagation in a fractured rock slope over 10,000 years: The La Clapière slope, the south-eastern French Alps

The “La Clapière” area (Tinée valley, Alpes Maritimes, France) is a typical large, complex, unstable rock slope affected by Deep Seated Gravitational Slope Deformations (DGSD) with tension cracks, scarps, and a 60 × 10⁶ m³ rock slide at the slope foot that is currently active. The slope surface displacements since 10 ka were estimated from ¹⁰Be ages of slope gravitational features and from morpho-structural analyses. It appears that tensile cracks with a strike perpendicular to the main orientation of the slope were first triggered by the gravitational reactivation of pre-existing tectonic faults in the slope. A progressive shearing of the cracks then occurred until the failure of a large rock mass at the foot of the slope. By comparing apertures, variations and changes in direction between cracks of different ages, three phases of slope surface displacement were identified: 1) an initial slow slope deformation, spreading from the foot to the top, characterized by an average displacement rate of 4 mm yr^− 1, from 10–5.6 ka BP; 2) an increase in the average displacement rate from 13 to 30 mm yr^− 1 from the foot to the middle of the slope, until 3.6 ka BP; and 3) development of a large failure at the foot of the slope with fast displacement rates exceeding 80 mm yr^− 1 for the last 50 years. The main finding of this study is that such a large fractured slope destabilization had a very slow displacement rate for thousands of years but was followed by a recent acceleration. The results obtained agree with several previous studies, indicating that in-situ monitoring of creep of a fractured rock slope may be useful for predicting the time and place of a rapid failure.     

Spatial patterns of old, deep-seated landslides: A case-study in the northern Ethiopian highlands

During the last decade, slope failures were reported in a 500 km² study area in the Geba–Werei catchment, northern Ethiopia, a region where landslides were not considered an important hazard before. Field observations, however, revealed that many of the failures were actually reactivations of old deep-seated landslides after land use changes. Therefore, this study was conducted (1) to explore the importance of environmental factors controlling landslide occurrence and (2) to estimate future landslide susceptibility. A landslide inventory map of the study area derived from aerial photograph interpretation and field checks shows the location of 57 landslides and six zones with multiple landslides, mainly complex slides and debris flows. In total 14.8% of the area is affected by an old landslide. For the landslide susceptibility modelling, weights of evidence (WofE), was applied and five different models were produced. After comparison of the models and spatial validation using Receiver Operating Characteristic curves and Kappa values, a model combining data on elevation, hillslope gradient, aspect, geology and distance to faults was selected. This model confirmed our hypothesis that deep-seated landslides are located on hillslopes with a moderate slope gradient (i.e. 5°–13°). The depletion areas are expected on and along the border of plateaus where weathered basalts rich in smectite clays are found, and the landslide debris is expected to accumulate on the Amba Aradam sandstone and upper Antalo limestone. As future landslides are believed to occur on inherently unstable hillslopes similar to those where deep-seated landslides occurred, the classified landslide susceptibility map allows delineating zones where human interventions decreasing slope stability might cause slope failures. The results obtained demonstrate that the applied methodology could be used in similar areas where information on the location of landslides is essential for present-day hazard analysis.     

Influence of structural framework on mountain slope deformation in the Maiella anticline (Central Apennines, Italy)

Relationships between tectonic framework and gravity-driven phenomena have been investigated in an area of the Central Apennines (Italy) characterised by high relief. The north–south, half-dome shaped Maiella anticline lies in the easternmost part of the Apennine fold-and-thrust belt. Its backlimb is bordered by the Caramanico Fault, a normal fault with a maximum downthrown of about 3.5 km that separates the western slope of the Maiella Massif from the Caramanico Valley. The southwestern Maiella area is affected by deep-seated gravitational slope deformation indicated by major double crest lines, down-hill and up-hill facing scarps, a pattern of crossing trenches, bulging at the base of slopes and the presence of different types of landslide and talus slope deposits.The onset and development of deep-seated gravitational slope deformations and the location of Quaternary, massive rockslope failures have been strongly influenced by the structural framework and tectonic pattern of the anticline. Deep-seated gravitational slope deformation at Mt. Macellaro–Mt. Amaro ridge has developed along the Maiella western, reverse slope in correspondence with the anticline axial culmination; it is bordered at the rear by a NNW–SSE oriented, dextral, strike-slip fault zone and has an E–W direction of rock mass deformation. Closer to the southern plunging area of the anticline, gravity-driven phenomena show instead a N–S and NW–SE direction, influenced by bedding attitude.3D topographic models illustrate the relationship between deep-seated gravitational slope deformation and massive rockslope failures. The Campo di Giove rock avalanche, a huge Quaternary failure event, was the result of an instantaneous collapse on a mountaine slope affected by a long-term gravity-driven deformation.     

LiDAR-derived DEM evaluation of deep-seated landslides in a steep and rocky region of Japan

In steep and rocky terrains, their rough surfaces make it difficult to create landslide inventories even with detailed maps/images produced from airborne LiDAR data. To provide objective clues in locating deep-seated landslides, the surface textures of a 5 km² steepland area in Japan was investigated using the eigenvalue ratio and slope filters calculated from a very high resolution LiDAR-derived DEM. The range of filter values was determined for each of a number of surface features mapped in the field and these included: cracked bedrock outcrops, coarse colluvial deposits, gently undulating surfaces, and smooth surfaces. Recently active slides commonly contained patches of ground in which deposition and erosion occurred together near the erosion front, or where cracked bedrock outcrops and coarse colluvial deposits coexisted under a gently undulating surface. The characteristic eigenvalue and slope filter values representing this sliding process were applied to maps of the DEM derived filter values to extract potential sites of recent landslide activity. In addition, the relationships between the filter values of deep-seated landslides at various stages of evolution within the field mapped area were extended to the entire study area, to assess the contribution that landslide evolution makes to change in the landscape as a whole. While landslide components made up the steepest as well as the gentlest parts of the landscape depending on their evolutionary stage, landslides were constantly coarsened and steepened by progressive erosion, probably initiated by river bank erosion at the foot of slopes.     

Factors controlling carbonate dissolution rates quantified in a field test in the Austrian alps

Carbonate dissolution rates were investigated by measuring the mass difference of carbonate tablets exposed to natural dissolution for 1 year. 70 tablets were distributed over 13 test sites on the north slope of the Hochschwab Massif in the Austrian Alps. The influences of altitude, subsoil vs. sub-aerial exposure, vegetation, karst morphology, soil humidity, sample lithology, and sample surface morphology were investigated. The observed dissolution rates varied between 13 and 40 μm/a for subcutaneous samples and about 11 μm/a for sub-aerial exposure. Outstandingly high rates of 48 μm/a were observed in a doline and nearly zero rates were measured at a site influenced by seeping spring water.A mass balance, using high-resolution hydrological data, was calculated for the Kläffer Spring, which has an average outflow of 4.8 m³/s. It indicated a loss of 21×10⁶ kg of carbonate rock per year which gives an average dissolution rate of 95 μm/a for the catchment area of 83 km². The dissolution rates of 10 μm/a from the sub-aerially exposed samples are comparable to values from limestone pedestals, which were protected from dissolution by glacial erratics for the past 15 ka.     

Morphology and internal structure of a dormant landslide in a hilly area: The Collinabos landslide (Belgium)

This study attempts to reconstruct the history of the Collinabos landslide, a landslide with a fresh morphology that is representative for more than 150 dormant, deep-seated (> 3 m) landslides in the Flemish Ardennes (Belgium). A geomorphological map was created based on LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging)-derived maps and detailed field surveys. The map showed that the landslide consisted of three zones with significant differences in surface topography. The northern landslide zone 1 is characterised by at least five reverse slopes, whereas zones 2 and 3, the southern landslide zones, have only two reverse slopes and a convex foot. Electric resistivity profiles measured in zones 1 and 2 revealed that the differences in surface topography were not related to differences in internal structure as both parts of the landslide were initiated as a rotational earth slide with a surface of rupture at 15 m deep, where the displaced material broke apart in two blocks. However, two shear surfaces of reactivations within landslide debris were only distinguished in the accumulation area of zone 1. The observed differences in surface morphology can be caused by a temporary conversion of a forest into cropland in zone 2. It is suggested that reverse slopes of smaller reactivations within landslide debris were obliterated during the agricultural activities. AMS radiocarbon dating of organic material found in ponds located in reverse slopes generally resulted in relatively recent dates (i.e. 1400–1950 Cal AD) suggesting that several of the small local reactivations occurred in that period. One dating at 8700–8440 Cal BP of organic matter collected in a reverse slope in zone 1 suggests that an initiation under periglacial conditions cannot be excluded for the Collinabos landslide. By combining different technologies, this study provides valuable information for a better understanding of dormant landslides.     

The relationship between seismic deformation and deep-seated gravitational movements during the 1997 Umbria–Marche (Central Italy) earthquakes

This paper re-evaluates the origin of some peculiar patterns of ground deformation in the Central Apennines, observed by space geodetic techniques during the two earthquakes of the Colfiorito seismic sequence on September 26th, 1997. The surface displacement field due to the fault dislocation, as modelled with the classic Okada elastic formulations, shows some areas with high residuals which cannot be attributed to non-simulated model complexities. The residuals were investigated using geomorphological analysis, recognising the geologic evidence of deep-seated gravitational slope deformations (DSGSD) of the block-slide type. The shape and direction of the co-seismic ground displacement observed in these areas are correlated with the expected pattern of movement produced by the reactivation of the identified DSGSD. At least a few centimetres of negative “Line of Sight” ground displacement was determined for the Costa Picchio, Mt. Pennino, and Mt. Prefoglio areas. A considerable horizontal component of movement in the Costa Picchio DSGSD is evident from a qualitative analysis of ascending and descending interferograms. The timing of the geodetic data indicates that the ground movement occurred during the seismic shaking, and that it did not progress appreciably during the following months. This work has verified the seismic triggering of DSGSD previously hypothesized by many researchers. A further implication is that in the assessment of DSGSD hazard seismic input needs to be considered as an important cause of accelerated deformation.     

Sedimentary impacts from landslides in the Tachia River Basin, Taiwan

A case study of coseismic landslides and post-seismic sedimentary impacts of landslides due to rainfall events was conducted in the Tachia River basin, Taichung County, central Taiwan. About 3000 coseismic landslides occurred in the basin during the M_L 7.3 Chi-Chi earthquake in 1999. The deposits from these landslides provided material for numerous debris flows induced by subsequent rainfall events. The estimated 4.1 × 10⁷ m³ of landslide debris produced in the upland area caused sediment deposition in riverbeds, and flash floods inundated downstream areas with sediment during torrential rains. The landslide frequency-size distributions for the coseismic landslides and the subsequent rainfall-induced landslides were analyzed to determine the sediment budgets of the post-seismic geomorphic response in the landslide-dominated basin. Both the coseismic and the rainfall-induced landslides show a power–law frequency-size distribution with a rollover. It was found that the rainfall-induced landslide magnitude was smaller than the coseismic one, and that both have comparable negative scaling exponents in cumulative form, of about − 2.0 for larger landslides (> 10^− 2 km²). This may be attributed to ongoing movement or reactivation of old landslides, and a natural stabilisation of small landslides between 10^− 4 and 10^− 2 km². It is proposed that the characteristics of geological formations and rainfall as well as changes in landslide area are reflected in the power–law distribution.     

The landslide response of alpine basins to post-Little Ice Age glacial thinning and retreat in southwestern British Columbia

The role of post-Little Ice Age (LIA) Neoglacial retreat on landslide activity is investigated in 19 alpine basins along the upper Lillooet River Valley, British Columbia. We examine how Neoglacial scouring and glacial recession have modified hillslope form and slope stability, and construct a decision-making flowchart to identify landslide hazards associated with glacial retreat. This work is based on field mapping, GIS analysis, statistical associations between landslides and terrain attributes, and a comparison between Neoglaciated and non-Neoglaciated terrain within each basin.The bedrock landslide response to glacial retreat varies appreciably according to lithology and the extent of glacial scour below the LIA trimline. Valleys carved in weak Quaternary volcanics show significant erosional oversteepening and contain deep-seated slope movement features, active rock fall, rock slides, and rock avalanches near glacial trimlines. Basins in stronger granitic rock rarely show increased bedrock instability resulting from post-LIA retreat, except for shallow-seated rock slides along some trimlines and failures on previously unstable slopes. In surficial materials, landslides associated with post-LIA retreat originate in till or colluvium, as debris slides or debris avalanches, and are concentrated along lateral moraines or glacial trimlines.Significant spatial association was also observed between recent catastrophic failures, gravitational slope deformation, and slopes that were oversteepened then debuttressed by glacial erosion. Eight out of nine catastrophic rock slope failures occurred just above glacial trimlines and all occurred in areas with a previous history of deep-seated gravitational slope movement, implying that this type of deformation is a precursor to catastrophic detachment.     

The frequency and distribution of recent landslides in three montane tropical regions of Puerto Rico

Landslides are common in steep mountainous areas of Puerto Rico where mean annual rainfall and the frequency of intense storms are high. Each year, landslides cause extensive damage to property and occasionally result in loss of life. Average population density is high, 422 people/km², and is increasing. This increase in population density is accompanied by growing stress on the natural environment and physical infrastructure. As a result, human populations are more vulnerable to landslide hazards. The Blanco, Cibuco, and Coamo study areas range in surface area from 276 to 350 km² and represent the climatologic, geographic, and geologic conditions that typify Puerto Rico. Maps of recent landslides developed from 1:20,000-scale aerial photographs, in combination with a computerized geographic information system, were used to evaluate the frequency and distribution of shallow landslides in these areas. Several types of landslides were documented—rainfall-triggered debris flows, shallow soil slips, and slumps were most abundant. Hillslopes in the study area that have been anthropogenically modified, exceed 12° in gradient, are greater than 300 m in elevation, and face the east-northeast, are most prone to landsliding. A set of simplified matrices representing geographic conditions in the three study areas was developed and provides a basis for the estimation of the spatial controls on the frequency of landslides in Puerto Rico. This approach is an example of an analysis of the frequency of landslides that is computationally simple, and therefore, may be easily transferable to other settings.     

Sequence of instability processes triggered by heavy rainfall in the northern Italy

Northern Italy is a geomorphologically heterogeneous region: high mountains, wide valleys, gentle hills and a large plain form a very varied landscape and influence the temperate climate of the area. The Alps region has harsh winters and moderately warm summers with abundant rainfall. The Po Plain has harsh winters with long periods of subfreezing temperatures and warm sultry summers, with rainfall more common in winter.Geomorphic instability processes are very common. Almost every year, landslides, mud flows and debris flows in the Alpine areas and flooding in the Po flood plain cause severe damage to structures and infrastructure and often claim human lives. Analyses of major events that have struck northern Italy over the last 35 years have provided numerous useful data for the recognition of various rainfall-triggering processes and their sequence of development in relation to the intensity and duration of rainfall. Findings acquired during and after these events emphasise that the quantity and typology of instability processes triggered by rainfall are related not only to an area's morphological and geological characteristics but also to intense rainfall distribution during meteorological disturbances. Moreover, critical rainfall thresholds can vary from place to place in relation to the climatic and geomorphological conditions of the area. Once the threshold has been exceeded, which is about 10% of the local mean annual rainfall (MAR), the instability processes on the slopes and along the hydrographic networks follow a sequence that can be reconstructed in three different phases.In the first phase, the initial instability processes that can usually be observed are soil slips on steep slopes, mud–debris flows in small basins of less than 20 km² in area, while discharge increases substantially in larger stream basins of up to 500 km². In continuous precipitation, in the second phase, first mud–debris flows can be triggered also in basins larger than 20 km² in area. Tributaries swell the main stream, which is already in a critical condition. The violent flow causes severe problems mainly along valley bottoms of rivers with basins up to 2000 km² in area. First bedrock landslides can occur, reaching a considerable area density, with volumes from a few hundred up to about one to two million cubic meters. In continuous precipitation, in the third phase, basins of more than 2000 km² in area reach their first critical stage. River-bed morphology is extensively modified, with erosional and depositional processes which can locally undermine the stability of structures and infrastructures. Waters overflow levees, flooding villages and towns to various widths and depths and sometimes claiming casualties. Some days after an intense rainfall period, large landslides involving the bedrock can still take place. These processes usually cause the movement of very large rock masses. The total duration of rainfall usually has a greater effect on these landslides than does the number of short periods of very intensive precipitation. This sequence cannot be divided into separate phases when the events occur simultaneously because of the presence of intense rainfall pulses and the generation of very diffuse surface runoff. Such situations usually happen during short-lasting heavy summer rainstorms or in late spring, when snow melt combines with intense rainfall. The three-phase sequence has been identified in three severe events that are analysed in this paper: Valtellina (Lombardy) in 1987, Tanaro Valley (Piedmont) in 1994 and Aosta Valley in 2000; but this sequence has also been observed during other events that occurred in northern Italy: in Piedmont in 1968, 1977, 1978, 1993 and 2000; in Lombardy in 1983 and 1992; in the Aosta Valley in 1993.     

Speleothem dating in Norway: an interglacial chronology

Since 1980, speleothems, mollusc shells and vertebrate teeth have been dated at the Uranium Series Radiometric Laboratory at Oslo University: To date, 44 samples have been dated with ²³⁰Th/²³²Th ratios ≥20. As found with other speleothem dates, they tend to cluster into discreet groups, roughly corresponding to ice-free periods of the Late Pleistocene. The direct connection between speleothem depositon and ice-free surface conditions is not always exactly correct, and it is preferable to operate with ‘speleothem chronozones’ when discussing these phenomena. Speleothem chronozones have been found in Norway for 0 to 12 ka BP (Holocenc), 90 to 130 ka BP (Rana-Fauske Chronozone), 170 to 200 ka BP (Gildeskål Chronozone), and greater than 350 ka BP. The latter samples (>350 ka BP) were all younger than 1.5 ma BP, and they most likely fall within the range of 0.3 to 0.8 ma BP, based on regional means of initial ²³⁴Usol;²³⁸U. Some samples which were contaminated with detrital Thorium gave ‘corrected’ ages (assuming initial ²³⁰Th/²³²Th = 1.5) of 36, 40, 50 and 60 ka BP, respectively. These dates may correlate with the Weichselian Interstadial complex (Ålesund/Sandnes, 30 to 39 ka BP; Jæren/Nygaard, 40 to 50 ka BP; and Brørup/Jämtland, 58 to 68 ka BP) chronozones. More work is required to clarify the problems and increase the statistical significance of the findings.     

Gigantic low-gradient landslides in the northern periphery of the Crimean Mountains (Ukraine)

Large-scale, low-gradient ancient landslides estimated at 5.4–18.9 km² in area and  0.2–1.2 km³ in volume have been studied in the northern hilly periphery of the Crimean Mountains (Ukraine). They originated on slopes along wide water gaps of rivers (Belbek, Kacha, Alma and Biyuk–Karasu) crossing the cuestas of the northern foothills. The slopes generally consist of slightly northward tilting Miocene (mainly Sarmatian) limestones overlying weak, clay-rich Lower Neogene–Palaeogene substratum with a significant content of smectite. Although the region is characterised by the least active contemporary morphodynamics within the Crimean Mountains, the landslides which were studied are of the same size or even larger than various types of landslides occupying active geomorphic domains of the highest mountain range in the southernmost part of the peninsula. The landslides are generally a spreading type, but the sliding mechanics were probably very complex, involving toppling, rotational slides, gravitational folding and translational block slides. All the landslides which were studied are located in the vicinity of regional faults and three of them have headscarps aligned along faults. A common feature is also a location close (within several km) to the Mesozoic suture zone which is the most important tectonic feature in the northern periphery of the Crimean Orogene. This suture was formerly classified as aseismic; however, evidence of strong, low-frequency palaeoearthquakes was collected during the last decade within both the Mesozoic suture and the low-lying northern part of the Crimean Peninsula. Radiocarbon dating of deposits associated with the landslides has revealed at least two phases of increased landslide-activity during the Late Glacial chronozone and Holocene epoch. The main landslide phase presumably took place at some time between the Late Glacial and Atlantic chronozones. Minor reactivation of landslide toes occurred during the Subatlantic chronozone and some of them have been active up to recent times. The first major landslide phase was possibly triggered by an earthquake, whereas late Holocene activity can be attributed both to seismic and hydroclimatic factors.     

Time series assessment on landslide occurrences in an area undergoing development

This study assesses the influence of development on landslide occurrences in a rapidly developing area, Kota Kinabalu in Sabah Malaysia, across three assessment years (1978, 1994 and 2010). Two development indicators, land use and road density, were used to measure the influence of development on landslide occurrence. Land use was classified into four categories (barren, forest, developed and other), and road density was classified into low (< 50 m/40 000 m²), moderate (50–150 m/40 000 m²) and high (> 150 m/40 000 m²). Landslide density analysis was used to calculate the concentration of landslide for the different land use and road density categories. The number of landslides in developed areas increased from 19 landslides/100 km² in 1978, to 29 landslides/100 km² in 1994 and to 50 landslides/100 km² in 2010, mirroring an increase in land use for development purposes from 8 per cent in 1978 to 27 per cent in 2010. Landslide density also gradually increased in the high road density class from 10 landslides/100 km² in 1978, to 30 landslides/100 km² in 1994 and 62 landslides/100 km² in 2010. These results show that road construction activities influence landslide occurrences.     

The effects of logging on frequency and distribution of landslides in three watersheds on Vancouver Island, British Columbia

Three hundred and sixty three landslides in three watersheds that totaled 382 km² were identified from air photographs, beginning at a date that preceded logging to the present. The three watersheds all lie on Vancouver Island; however, they have different precipitation regimes, topography, and amounts logged. Landslide areas in the watersheds varied in size from 200 m² to more than 1 ha. Nearly 80% of the landslides were debris slides; 15% were debris flows, and the remainder primarily rock falls. Following logging, the number of landslides increased substantially in all watersheds although the amount of increase was variable: approximately 11, 3, and 16 times in Macktush Creek, Artlish River, and Nahwitti River, respectively. Other analyses of changes in landslide density also produced highly variable results, with the number of landslides increasing between 2.4 and 24 times. Further, 2–12 times more landslides reached streams following logging activities. Densities for landslides impacting streams increased for the period of record from 1.5 to 10 times following logging activities. The densities were substantially greater where only landslides that reached streams since development began in a watershed were considered. Roads had the greatest spatial impact in the watersheds (compared to their total area), with frequencies determined to have increased by 27, 12, and 94 times for Macktush, Artlish, and Nahwitti, respectively. The results highlight the relative impact of roads and their role in slope stability.     

Giant sublacustrine landslide in the Cretaceous Songliao Basin,NE China

Mass failure deposits in lacustrine settings are some of the most understudied facies associations in the ancient or modern rock record. We integrated seismic data and well logs to investigate the external morphology, internal architecture and deformation and reservoir distribution of the sublacustrine landslides in the Cretaceous Nengjiang Formation of the Songliao Basin (SLB). A large‐scale sublacustrine landslide, named the Qi‐Jia sublacustrine landslide (QJSL), has been identified in the Nengjiang Formation of the SLB. The QJSL is currently the largest known sublacustrine landslide in the world. This landslide covers an area that exceeds 300 km², with an estimated volume of 30 km³. Seismic imaging and mapping reveal that the QJSL can be recognized by several distinguishing seismic characteristics: discontinuous and internal chaotic seismic facies, compressional structures in the downslope region, irregular top and basal surfaces and erosional grooves in basal shear surfaces. The QJSL is 20–200 m thick, and is composed of a succession of fine‐grained deposits. Sandy layers are present but sparse and thinner than 16 m, and form reservoirs of the petroleum discoveries in this area. Our analyses show that the mechanism that triggered the collapse of the QJSL is attributed to rapid deposition and deltaic progradation. This study demonstrates that sand‐rich sublacustrine landslides formed at delta front slope can serve as conventional reservoirs in the lake centre, and provide a new target for subaqueous hydrocarbon exploration and development.     

Episodic wood loading in a mountainous neotropical watershed

The Upper Rio Chagres drains 414 km² of steep, mountainous terrain in central Panama. A tropical air mass thunderstorm on 10 July 2007 produced a flood across the basin that peaked at 720 m³ s^− 1 at a headwaters gage draining 17.5 km² and 1710 m³ s^− 1 at a downstream gage draining 414 km². The storm also triggered numerous landslides in the upper basin, which facilitated the formation of large logjams along portions of the channel where transport capacity of wood was reduced by a change in channel geometry such as a bend or channel expansion. During field work in February 2008, we characterized three jams with surface areas of 400–2450 m²; two of these jams resulted in storage of substantial (1100–8200 m³) sediment wedges upstream. We returned to these sites in March 2009 to document changes in the logjams and sediment storage. Drawing on observations made in the basin since 2002, and site visits during 2008 and 2009, we suggest that jams such as these last two years or less. We propose that wood dynamics in the Upper Chagres alternate between brief periods of moderate wood load in the form of large logjams and much longer periods of essentially no wood load, a situation that contrasts with the more consistent wood loads in catchments of similar size in temperate environments and with limited studies of more consistent wood load in tropical catchments with no landslides.     

Paleogeography of Lake Agassiz and regional post-glacial uplift history of the Flin Flon region, central Manitoba and Saskatchewan

Detailed mapping and elevation measurements of glacial lake shorelines in the Flin Flon region has permitted the reconstruction of 6 well-defined levels of Lake Agassiz formed around 8.3 ka to 7.9 ka ¹⁴C BP. The Stonewall, The Pas, Gimli, Grand Rapids, Drunken Point and Ponton paleo-water planes have been tilted upward to the northeast in the Holocene, with gradients decreasing, from the highest to the lowest level, from about 0.34 m km^-1 to 0.22 m km^-1 in the study area. The Setting level, lower than the Ponton but less well defined, is also documented here for the first time. This mapping conclusively refutes the view, entrenched in the literature from the 1890's to the 1960's, that there has been negligible differential uplift in the region following final drainage of Lake Agassiz. The finding has major consequences regarding correlation of glacial lakes across the mid-continent, the post-glacial history of large lakes in the region, and for interpretation of earth rheology and its implications for ice sheet reconstruction.     

Immediately downstream effects of Three Gorges Dam on channel sandbars morphodynamics between Yichang-Chenglingji Reach of the Changjiang River,China

Sandbars are of vital ecological and environmental significance, which however, have been intensively influenced by human activities. Morphodynamic processes of sandbars along the Yichang-Chenglingji Reach of the Changjiang River, the channel immediately downstream of the Three Gorges Dam (TGD), are assessed based on remote sensing images between 2000 and 2016. It can be found that the entire area of sandbars reduces drastically by 19.23% from 149.04 km² in 2003 to 120.38 km² in 2016, accompanied with an increase in water surface width. Owing to differences in sediment grain size and anti-erosion capacity, sandbar area in the upstream sandy gravel reach (Yichang-Dabujie) and downstream sandy reach (Dabujie-Chenglingji) respectively decreases by 45.94% (from 20.79 km² to 11.24 km²) and 14.93% (from 128.30 km² to 109.14 km²). Furtherly, morphological evolutions of sandbars are affected by channel type: in straight-microbend channel, mid-channel sandbars exhibit downstream moving while maintaining the basic profile; in meandering channel, point sandbars show erosion and deposition in convex and concave bank respectively, with mid-channel sandbars distributing sporadically; in bending-branching channel, point sandbars experience erosion and move downstream while mid-channel sandbars show erosion in the head part along with retreating outline. We document that the primary mechanism of sandbars shrinkages along the Yichang-Chenglingji Reach can be attributed to TGD induced suspended sediment concentration decreasing and increasing in unsaturation of sediment carrying capacity. Additionally, channel type can affect the morphological evolution of sandbars. Along the Yichang-Chenglingji Reach, sandbars in straight-microbend channel are more affected by water flow than that in bending-branching channel.     

Evolution stages of large deep-seated landslides at the front of a subalpine meridional chain (Maritime-Alps, France)

Studying long term-evolution of gravitational slope evolution is a key to understanding deep-seated landslide processes. This paper deals with three large Deep-Seated Landslides (DSLs) at a front of a subalpine meridional chain, on the “La Marbrière” slope near the town of Grasse (Alpes-Maritimes, France). The geological framework controlling the stability and morphology of the DSLs is associated with thick and tamped Triassic layers of mudstone with gypsum overlain by highly faulted Jurassic limestone. Gravitational deformation affects the entire slope, involving a movement of about 1.1 × 10⁸ m³ of rock material. It creates large disturbances in landscape morphology, such as scarps, counter-slope scarps, trenches and other typical gravitational morpho-structures. Geomorphological mapping coupled with deep electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) reveals a strong correlation between these morpho-structures and inherited brittle tectonic features. This observation relies on spatial and geometrical relations (on the surface and at the depth of more than 150 m, checked by ERT) between the most persistent fault and the gravitational morpho-structures. The specific distribution of the morpho-structures on the basis of their morphological typologies and variations in the stage of evolution of three DSLs provides an interpretation of their kinematics during the last 400 ka. It appears that soft substratums combined with inherited persistent anisotropies are key factors in the development of the DSLs. Indeed, outflow of mudstone due to the lithostatic pressure imposed by individual limestone compartments has led to general slope subsidence. Then, a progressive toppling of a rock mass may have led to the catastrophic rock collapse along bedding planes.The evolution of the DSLs can be divided into three distinct stages represented by three zones: a young collapse stage (zone 1), a pre-collapse stage (zone 2) and an old mature stage (> 400 ka, zone 3). As the DSLs occur on the same slope and in the same geological context, this area offers interesting perspectives for understanding factors controlling the long-term gravitational evolution of slopes.