Engineering properties and slope form in granular soils

The residual shear strength of the granular regoliths was found to have a mean value of 36°. A model of microsliding is proffered to explain the shallow slides of granular material and the limiting equilibrium model gave threshold slopes of 36° (dry state) and 22° (saturated state). The slopes in the Afan basin were randomly sampled to create a frequency distribution with population mean19.4° ? μ ? 21.3° (95% confidence). Unstable slopes had a population mean21.5° ? μ ? 24.7° and since the limiting angle is 22° the unstable slopes have a central tendency equivalent to the calculated limiting angle. The frequency distribution irrespective of apparent stability was shown to have a population mean very near to the limiting angle so that rapid mass movement is important in interpreting valley side slope. A similar analysis was performed on the fossil cliffs of the Gower Peninsula which have scree slopes grading into solifluction benches. The various slope facets were explained in terms of the engineering properties and paleoenvironment.     

Analysis and remedies of landslides of cut slopes due to the presence of weak cohesive layers within stronger formations

 Several cases of instability of cut slopes along major highways in Jordan were reviewed in this study, in some detail. Emphasis was placed on the Amman-Irbid highway, but some cases along the Na'ur-Dead Sea highway were also reviewed, with the aim of establishing a wider database of case-studies and examining all possible mechanisms and factors influencing stability. The study showed that major cut slope failures were caused by the presence of weak cohesive layers (mainly clayey marl) interbedded within mostly stronger formations, in addition to the steep cutting angles and unfavorable dip of strata combined with relatively high piezometric surface brought about by poor surface and subsurface drainage. No remedies were implemented to stabilize major cut slope failures (at km 39+200, 44+300, and 56+400) along the Irbid-Jerash-Amman highway. The three major cut slope failures require extensive remedial work and probably advanced geotechnology, which is expected to be expensive. To investigate the influence of various parameters on slope stability, several analyses were performed in addition to back analyses to determine shear strength parameters; parametric sensitivity studies were also performed on some cases. Data was obtained from previous investigations by local and international firms and were screened and modified where needed before being used in stability analyses. Considerable difference between back analysis and test result values for shear strength parameters were observed in many cases. Failure surfaces and mechanisms were accurately depicted in most cases, allowing back analyses to be performed with considerable confidence. The effective residual shear strength parameters for clayey marl needed for stability analysis were found to be: c _r ′=5–18 kPa, and φ _r ′=13°–18°. The relation between total annual rainfall and occurrence of landslides was investigated; it was shown that all landslides occurred in years of very high rainfall, with values always exceeding 400 mm. The probability of exceeding the average total annual rainfall was found to be approximately 0.42 for the three gauging stations considered. Received: 28 October 1996 · Accepted: 23 September 1997     

Landslides triggered by slipping-fault-generated earthquake on a plateau: an example of the 14 April 2010, Ms 7.1, Yushu, China earthquake

On 14 April 2010 at 07:49 (Beijing time), a catastrophic earthquake with Ms 7.1 struck Yushu County, Qinghai Province, China. A total of 2,036 landslides were interpreted from aerial photographs and satellite images, verified by selected field checking. These landslides cover about a total area of 1.194 km². The characteristics and failure mechanisms of these landslides are presented in this paper. The spatial distribution of the landslides is evidently strongly controlled by the locations of the main co-seismic surface fault ruptures. The landslides commonly occurred close together. Most of the landslides are small; there were only 275 individual landslide (13.5 % of the total number) surface areas larger than 1,000 m². The landslides are of various types. They are mainly shallow, disrupted landslides, but also include rock falls, deep-seated landslides, liquefaction-induced landslides, and compound landslides. Four types of factors are identified as contributing to failure along with the strong ground shaking: natural excavation of the toes of slopes, which mean erosion of the base of the slope, surface water infiltration into slopes, co-seismic fault slipping at landslide sites, and delayed occurrence of landslides due to snow melt or rainfall infiltration at sites where slopes were weakened by the co-seismic ground shaking. To analyze the spatial distribution of the landslides, the landslide area percentage (LAP) and landslide number density (LND) were compared with peak ground acceleration (PGA), distance from co-seismic main surface fault ruptures, elevation, slope gradient, slope aspect, and lithology. The results show landslide occurrence is strongly controlled by proximity to the main surface fault ruptures, with most landslides occurring within 2.5 km of such ruptures. There is no evident correlation between landslide occurrences and PGA. Both LAP and LND have strongly positive correlations with slope gradient, and additionally, sites at elevations between 3,800 and 4,000 m are relatively susceptible to landslide occurrence; as are slopes with northeast, east, and southeast slope aspects. Q₄ al-pl, N, and T₃ kn ¹ have more concentrated landslide activity than others. This paper provides a detailed inventory map of landslides triggered by the 2010 Yushu earthquake for future seismic landslide hazard analysis and also provides a study case of characteristics, failure mechanisms, and spatial distribution of landslides triggered by slipping-fault generated earthquake on a plateau.     

Landslides in the North of Lisbon Region (Portugal): Conditioning and triggering factors

Detailed geomorphological mapping carried out in 5 sample areas in the North of Lisbon Region allowed us to collect a set of geological and geomorphological data and to correlate them with the spatial occurrence of landslide. A total of 597 slope movements were identified in a total area of 61.7 km², which represents about 10 landslides per km².The main landslide conditioning factors are: lithology and geological structure, slope angle and slope morphology, land use, presence of old landslides, and human activity.The highest landslide density occurs in Cretaceous marls and marly limestones, but the largest movements are in Jurassic clays, marls and limestones.The landslide density is higher on slopes with gradients above 20 °, but the largest unstable area is found on slopes of 10 ° to 15 °, thus reflecting the presence of the biggest slope movements. There is a correlation between landslides and topographical concavities, a fact that can be interpreted as reflecting the significance of the hydrological regime in slope instability.Concerning land use, the highest density of landslides is found on slopes covered with shrub and undergrowth vegetation.About 26% of the total number of landslides are reactivation events. The presence of old landslides is particularly important in the occurrence of translational slides and complex and composite slope movements.20% of the landslide events were conditioned by anthropomorphic activity. Human's intervention manifests itself in ill-consolidated fills, cuts in potentially unstable slopes and, in a few cases, in the changing of river channels.Most slope movements in the study area exhibit a clear climatic signal. The analysis of rainfall distribution in periods of recognised slope instability allows the distinction of three situations: 1) moderate intensity rainfall episodes, responsible for minor slope movements on the bank of rivers and shallow translational slides, particularly in artificial trenches; 2) high intensity rainfall episodes, originating flash floods and most landslides triggered by bank erosion; 3) long-lasting rainfall periods, responsible for the rise of the groundwater table and triggering of landslides with deeper slip surfaces.     

A characterisation of the physical properties of soil and the implications for landslide occurrence on the slopes of Mount Elgon,Eastern Uganda

Soil properties of major landslides that occurred recently on the mid-altitude slopes of Mount Elgon, eastern Uganda were analysed. A mudflow, located at the Kitati protected forest site, and two deep debris flows on the Nametsi and Buwabwala deforested steep slopes (36°–58°) were surveyed. In order to test the hypothesis that ‘soils at the landslide sites are particularly ‘problem soils’ and thus prone to landslides’, the following analyses were undertaken: particle size distribution, Atterberg limits, shear strength and factor of safety (F_s). Soils at the Kitati and Buwabwala sites exhibited expansive potential, owing to clay contents well above 20%. A clay content exceeding 32% was identified at the Nametsi debris flow site implying an extremely high expansive potential of the soil. High liquid limits (LLs) at Kitati (59%) and Buwabwala (53%) meant that the soils qualified as vertisols susceptible to landslides. High plasticity indices (PIs) (averaging 33%) also confirmed the vertic nature of soils at the Nametsi debris flow site. Whereas the value of F _s  < 1 for the Kitati site signifies an inherently unstable slope, Nametsi and Buwabwala are supposedly stable slopes (F _s  > 1). Despite this finding, the stable sites could be described as only conditionally stable because of the interplay of various physical, pedological and anthropogenic factors. The results point to the fact that soils at the landslide sites are inherently ‘problem soils’ where slope failure can occur even without human intervention. Therefore, the hypothesis that soils at three landslide sites are inherently ‘problem soils’ and prone to landslides, is accepted.     

Field monitoring of groundwater responses to heavy rainfalls and the early warning of the Kualiangzi landslide in Sichuan Basin,southwestern China

The Kualiangzi landslide was triggered by heavy rainfalls in the “red beds” area of Sichuan Basin in southwestern China. Differing from other bedrock landslides, the movement of the Kualiangzi landslide was controlled by the subvertical cracks and a subhorizontal bedding plane (dip angle < 10°). The ingress of rainwater in the cracks formed a unique groundwater environment in the slope. Field measurement for rainfall, groundwater movement, and slope displacement has been made for the Kualiangzi landslide since 2013. The field monitoring system consists of two rainfall gauges, seven piezometers, five water-level gauges, and two GPS data loggers. The equipments are embedded near a longitudinal section of the landslide, where severe deformation has been observed in the past 3 years. The groundwater responses to four heavy rainfall events were analyzed between June 16 and July 24 in 2013 coincided with the flood season in Sichuan. Results showed that both of the water level and the pore-water pressure increased after each rainfall event with delay in the response time with respect to the precipitation. The maximum time lag reached 35 h occurred in a heavy rainfall event with cumulative precipitation of 127 mm; such lag effect was significantly weakened in the subsequent heavy rainfall events. In each presented rainfall event, longer infiltration period in the bedrock in the upper slope increased the response time of groundwater, compared to that of in the gravels in the lower slope. A translational landslide conceptual model was built for the Kualiangzi landslide, and the time lag was attributed to the gradual formation of the uplift pressure on the slip surface and the softening of soils at the slip surface. Another important observation is the effect on the slope movement which was caused by the water level (H _w) in the transverse tension trough developed at the rear edge of the landslide. Significant negative correlation was found for H _w and the slope stability factor (F _s), in particular for the last two heavy rainfall events, of which the drastic increase of water level caused significant deterioration in the slope stability. The rapid drop (Δ?=?22.5 kPa) of pore-water pressure in the deep bedrock within 1 h and the large increase (Δ?=?87.3 mm) of surficial displacement were both monitored in the same period. In the end, a four-level early warning system is established through utilizing H _w and the displacement rate D _r as the warning indicators. When the large deformation occurred in flood season, the habitants at the leading edge of the landslide can be evacuated in time.     

Stability analysis of seismic slopes with cracks

Earthquakes can trigger slope instability, especially in the case of slopes with cracks. Studies of slope stability rarely account for the presence of cracks. In this study, the upper bound limit analysis technique and the pseudo-static method were used to examine the stability of homogeneous slopes with cracks subjected to seismic loading. A series of stability charts for slope inclinations of 2:1 (β = 63.4°), 1:1 (β = 45°), 2:3 (β = 33.7°), and 1:2 (β = 26.6°) (vertical to horizontal) and internal friction angles, φ, of 10°, 20°, 30°, and 40° are presented. These charts should be useful for readily determining the stability number (critical slope height), the critical crack depth, and the region affected by cracks for cracks of known depth but unknown location, cracks of known location but unspecified depth, and cracks of unspecified depth and location.     

Application of infinite slope analysis to subaqueous sediment instability,Mississippi delta

Submarine landslides are described on very low angle slopes (0.5°–1.7°) in the Mississippi prodelta area and are evaluated using infinite slope analysis. For instability to occur, pore water pressure ratios in excess of hydrostatic (u/γ_wz) and approaching geostatic (u/γ′z) are needed. These calculated values, based on three sets of effective strength parameters and for two sediment depths to failure, are in close agreement with measured pore water pressure data from in situ piezometers. Ratios of (u/γ′z) as large as 0.986 have been monitored. Mud vents are also indicative of large internal pressures within the sediments, generated by rapid sedimentation, wave perturbation, and biogenic methane. The analysis suggests that the reduction in effective stress may be sufficient to cause failure by gravitational stresses alone.     

Rainfall-triggered large landslides on 15 December 2005 in Van Canh District, Binh Dinh Province, Vietnam

Landslides are one of the most dangerous hazards in Vietnam. Most landslides occur at excavated slopes, and natural slope failures are rare in the country. However, the volume of natural slope failures can be very significant and can badly affect large areas. After a long period of heavy rainfall in the fourth quarter of 2005 in Van Canh district, a series of landslides with volumes of 20,000–195,000 m³ occurred on 15 December 2005. The travel distances for the landslides reached over 300–400 m, and the landslides caused some remarkable loud booming noises. The failures took place on natural slopes with unfavorable geological settings and slope angles of 28–31°. The rainfall in the fourth quarter of 2005 is estimated to have a return period of 100 years and was the main triggering factor. Because of the large affected area and low population density, resettling people from the dangerous landslide-prone residential areas to safer sites was the most appropriate solution. In order to do so, a map of landslide susceptibility was produced that took into account slope angle, distance to faults, and slope aspect. The map includes four levels from low to very high susceptibility to landslides.     

The role of infiltration processes in steep slope stability of pyroclastic granular soils: laboratory and numerical investigation

Rainfall-induced landslides on steep slopes are a common feature in much of Italy’s mountain areas covered by shallow-pyroclastic deposits. Generally, these deposits are unsaturated and have a slope angle higher than 40°–50°; hence their stability is due to the positive effect of matric suction on soil shear strength. During rainfall, rainwater infiltration causes a decrease in suction, which in turn causes changes in soil mechanical and hydraulic properties, leading towards an instability process. However, the response of pyroclastic soil slopes to rainwater infiltration is not fully understood. The aim of this study is to link slope instability to the infiltration process on the basis of advanced geotechnical characterization, in situ monitoring and numerical analysis calibrated through a back-analysis of well-instrumented flume tests.     

3D modeling of stratified and irregularly jointed rock slope and its progressive failure

Little has been published on the three-dimensional (3D) simulation of the progressive failure of rock slopes, possibly because the process of failure involves a complex, nonlinear evolution from initiation, through propagation and crack. In addition, rock is typically anisotropic, which makes it difficult to identify and describe the slope constituents and failure processes accurately. Despite such difficulties, further study of the fracture process is just as important as analyzing stress fields in 3D rock slope failures. In this paper, the 3D realistic failure process analysis code using finite element programming, and an extended version of numerical centrifugal method, is used to simulate slopes failure with different dip angles. The numerical centrifugal analysis results in this paper are found that the critical failure surface develops along the weak structural surface when the slope dip angle β is below 30°; conversely, the failure surface is formed along the toe of circular sliding when β is above 30°. In addition, it is also found that whether or not including the irregularity of joint into modeling to analyze the 3D slope stability problem will lead to a significant difference in factors of safety, it can reach 8.41 % at the same slope angle. Furthermore, the acoustic emission analyzing reveals deformed location characters of rock slope during the failure processes. With such capabilities, the approach contributes significantly to the in-depth study of the mechanisms of rock slope instability process.     

Characteristics of moderate- to large-scale landslides triggered by the <Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis><Subscript><Emphasis Type="Italic">w</Emphasis></Subscript> 7.8 2015 Gorkha earthquake and its aftershocks

The M _w 7.8 2015 Gorkha earthquake and its aftershocks significantly impacted the lives and economy of Nepal. The consequences of landslides included fatalities, property losses, blockades of river flow, and damage to infrastructural systems. Co-seismic landslides triggered by this earthquake were significantly widespread and pose a major geodisaster. There were tens of thousands of landslides triggered by the earthquake, majority of which were distributed in between the epicenter of the main shock and the M _w 7.3 aftershock. Although 14,670 landslides triggered by this earthquake were identified, only approximately 23% of them were of moderate to large scale with areas greater than 100 m². Of the moderate- to large-scale landslides identified, just over 90% were triggered by the main shock and smaller aftershocks prior to the major (M _w 7.3) aftershock, while nearly 10% were triggered by the ground shaking induced by the major aftershock. Moreover, the number of landslides triggered by the 2015 Gorkha earthquake, specifically by the main shock, was slightly more than the expected number of landslides for the recorded maximum peak ground acceleration (PGA) in comparison to the co-seismic landslides triggered by 26 earthquakes. Over 90% of those moderate- to large-scale landslides were concentrated within the estimated fault rupture surface. Majority of these moderate- to large-scale landslides were disrupted failures with over 96% of which were classified as earth falls. However, the majority of small-scale landslides were rock or boulder falls. The most number of moderate- to large-scale landslides were triggered in the slate, shale, siltstone, phyllite, and schist of the Lesser Himalayan formation followed by an equally significant number in both schist, gneiss, etc. of the Higher Himalayan formation and the phyllite, metasandstone, schist, etc. of the Lesser Himalayan formation. The sizes (i.e., areas) of the landslides were lognormally distributed, with a mode area of 322.0 m². Slope inclinations of the moderate- to large-scale landslides followed a normal distribution with a mean slope inclination of 32.6° and standard deviation of 13.5°. There exists a strong correlation between the number of landslides and the peak ground acceleration within the study area, specific for different geological formations.     

Topographic and geologic controls on landslides induced by the 2015 Gorkha earthquake and its aftershocks: an example from the Trishuli Valley,central Nepal

The devastating Gorkha earthquake (M _w 7.8) on April 25, 2015 and its aftershocks triggered numerous landslides across the Lesser and Higher Himalayas of central Nepal. This study aims to characterize these landslides, based on the local topography and geology, and to develop data for landslide hazard zoning. This study focused on a mountainous catchment of the Trishuli River, where a digital elevation model was used to examine hilllslope and river profiles, aerial photos were used to identify 155 coherent landslides, and satellite images were used to map 912 earthquake-induced landslides. The topography of this area is mainly characterized by incised V-shaped inner gorges and steep (> 35°) SW-facing scarp slopes. Although most of the coherent landslides were not reactivated by the earthquakes, the Gogane landslide was affected by the earthquake and partly failed. A majority of the earthquake-induced landslides (91%) were new landslides, while the others were enlarged old landslides. The earthquake-induced landslides occurred mainly on the steep slopes of V-shaped inner gorges and scarp slopes, in gneiss and quartzite strata of the Lesser Himalayas, and they were primarily associated with fractured rock masses. This analysis provides a framework for zoning areas vulnerable to earthquake-induced landslides.     

Evaluating the susceptibility of landslide landforms in Japan using slope stability analysis: a case study of the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake

This study analyzed 267 landslide landforms (LLs) in the Kumamoto area of Japan from the database of about 0.4 million LLs for the whole of Japan identified from aerial photos by the National Research Institute for Earth Science and Disaster Resilience of Japan (NIED). Each LL in the inventory is composed of a scarp and a moving mass. Since landslides are prone to reactivation, it is important to evaluate the sliding-recurrence susceptibility of LLs. One possible approach to evaluate the susceptibility of LLs is slope stability analysis. A previous study found a good correlation (R ² = 0.99) between the safety factor (F _s ) and slope angle (α) of F _s  = 17.3α ^?0.843. We applied the equation to the analysis of F _s for 267 LLs in the area affected by the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake (M _j  = 7.3). The F _s was calculated for the following three cases of failure: scarps only, moving mass only, and scarps and moving mass together. Verification with the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake event shows that the most appropriate method for the evaluation of LLs is to consider the failure of scarps and moving mass together. In addition, by analyzing the relationship between the factors of slope of entire landslide and slope of scarp for LLs and comparing the results with the Aso-ohashi landslide, the largest landslide caused by the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake, we also found that morphometric analysis of LLs is useful for forecasting the travel distance of future landslides.     

Statistical analysis of landslides caused by the Mw 6.9 Yushu,China, earthquake of April 14, 2010

The April 14, 2010 Yushu, China, earthquake (Mw 6.9) triggered a great number of landslides. At least 2,036 co-seismic landslides, with a total coverage area of 1.194 km², were delineated by visual interpretation of aerial photographs and satellite images taken following the earthquake, and verified by field inspection. Based on the mapping results, a statistical analysis of the spatial distribution of these landslides is performed using the landslide area percentage (LAP), defined as the percentage of the area affected by the landslides, and landslide number density (LND), defined as the number of landslides per square kilometer. The purpose is to clarify how the landslides correlate the control factors, which are the elevation, slope angle, slope aspect, slope position, distance from drainages, lithology, distance from the surface rupture, and peak ground acceleration (PGA). The results show that both LAP and LND have strongly positive correlations with slope angle and negative correlations with distance from the surface rupture and distance from drainages. The highest LAP and LPD values are in places of elevations from 3,800 to 4,000 m. The slopes producing landslides are mostly facing toward NE, E, and SE. The geological units of Q₄ al-pl, N, and T₃ kn ¹ have the highest concentrations of co-seismic landslides. No apparent correlations are present between LAP and LND values and PGA. On both sides of the surface rupture, the landslide distributions are almost similar except a few exceptions, likely associated with the nature of the strike-slip seismogenic fault for this event. The bivariate statistical analysis shows that, in descending order, the earthquake-triggered landslide impact factors are distance from surface rupture > slope angle > distance from drainages > lithology > PGA. Besides, as the detailed co-seismic landslides inventories related to strike-slip earthquakes are still few compared with that of thrusting-fault earthquakes, this case study would shed new light on the subject. For instance, the landslide spatial distribution on both sides of the strike-slip seismogenic fault is rather different from that of thrusting-fault earthquakes. It reminds us to take different strategies of measures for prevention and mitigation of landslides induced by earthquakes with different mechanisms.     

Topographical features of rainfall-triggered landslides in Mon State,Myanmar, August 2019: spatial distribution heterogeneity and uncommon large relative heights

Continuous 5-day (August 4–9, 2019) torrential rainfall in the monsoon season triggered more than 90 landslides on northwest-southeast extended mountain range of Mon State, Myanmar. In this study, remote sensing images, DEM, and limited fieldworks were used to create the landslide inventory. The topography features of these landslides are analyzed via ArcGIS. The largest one occurred on 9 August 2019 and caused 75 deaths and 27 buildings were damaged. This landslide occurred on gentle topography (slope angle, 23°) with long run-out, in which the angle of reach was relatively low (10°). The volume was 111,878 m³ was mainly composed of weathered granite and red soil and the sliding depth was approximately 7.5 m. Topographic characteristics including the relative slope height, angle of reach, and slope angle of source area of 35 landslides with areas?>?4000 m² were analyzed. The spatial distribution characteristics and topographic features of the 35 landslides below are distinguished: (1) the concentration of most of landslides on southwest-facing slopes showing the heterogeneous spatial distribution of landslide; (2) an uncommon landslide distribution in which more than half of landslide originates from upper slope; (3) the range of the angle of the source area (17°–38°) compatible with the internal friction angle of soils in tropical regions (17°–33°); and (4) the tangent of the angle of reach is generally smaller than 0.5 (angle of reach?<?27°) shows a relative high mobility and the relation between landslide mobility and the slope angle of the landslide source area is similar to the one of earthquake-triggered landslides, even though the triggering mechanism, landslide type, and landslide volume are dramatically different.

     

Characteristics of landslides in western Colorado,USA

Mass movement can be activated by earthquakes, rapid snowmelt, or intense rainstorms in conjunction with gravity. Whereas mass movement plays a major role in the evolution of a hillslope by modifying slope morphology and transporting material from the slope to the valley, it is also a potential natural hazard. Determining the relationships of frequency and magnitude of landslides are fundamental to understanding the role of landslides in the study of landscape evolution, hazard assessment, and determination of the rate of hillslope denudation. We mapped 735 shallow and active landslides in the Paonia to McClure Pass area of western Colorado from aerial photographs and field surveys. The study area covers ～815 km². The frequency–magnitude relationships of the landslides illustrate the flux of debris by mass movement in the area. The comparison of the probability density of the landslides with the double Pareto curve, defined by power scaling for negative slope (α), power scaling for positive slope (β), and location of rollover (t), shows that α?=?1.1, β?=?1.9, and t?=?1,600 m² for areas of landslides and α?=?1.15, β?=?1.8, and t?=?1,900 m³ for volumes of landslides. The total area of landslides is 4.8?×?10⁶ m² and the total volume of the landslides is 1.4?×?10⁷ m³. The areas (A) and the volumes (V) of landslides are related by V?=?0.0254?×?A ^1.45. The frequency–magnitude analysis shows that landslides with areas ranging in size from 1,600 to 20,000 m² are the most hazardous landslides in the study area. These landslides are the most frequent and also do a significant amount of geomorphic work. We also developed a conceptual model of hillslope development to upland plateau driven by river incision, shallow landsliding, and deep-seated large landsliding. The gentle slope to flat upland plateau that dominated the Quaternary landscape of the study area was modified to the present steep and rugged topography by the combined action of fluvial incision and glacial processes in response to rock uplift, very-frequent shallow landsliding, and less-frequent deep-seated landsliding.     

Predictive Power Evaluation of a Physically Based Model for Shallow Landslides in the Area of Oltrepò Pavese,Northern Italy

The use of real-time landslide early warning systems is attracting the attention of the scientific community, since it allows to assess “where” and “when” a shallow rainfall-induced landslide might occur by coupling rainfall amounts, hydrological models and slope-stability analysis. The paper deals with the main results of a back analysis, which refers to the application of a physically based stability model [Shallow Landslides Instability Prediction (SLIP)] on regional scale. The analysis concerns the occurrence of some recent rainfall-induced shallow landslides in the municipal territory of Broni, in the area of Oltrepò Pavese (Northern Italy). The study area is a hilly region 2.4 km² wide, where more than 40 % of the territory has slopes steeper than 15° and altitudes are between 90 and 250 m a.s.l. As regards the geologic setting, clayey-silty shallow colluvial deposits, with a maximum thickness of about 3 m, overlap a bedrock made of clayey shales, calcareous flysch and marls. The SLIP model is based on the limit equilibrium method applied to an infinite slope and on the Mohr–Coulomb strength criterion for the soil. By assuming that the main hydro-geotechnical process that leads to failure is the saturation of parts of the soil, the model allows to take into account the condition of partial saturation of the soil. The safety factor (F _S ) of a slope is also function of previous rainfalls. After the implementation of the model at territory scale, the input data have been introduced through a geographic information systems platform. In the current paper we mainly intend to evaluate the performance of SLIP at catchment scale, by comparison to (1) observed landslide events and (2) another well-established physically based model (TRIGRS). Further, we want to assess the suitability of the model as early warning tool. The results produced by the model are analyzed both in terms of safety factor maps, corresponding to some particular rainfall events, and in terms of the time-varying percentage of unstable areas over a 2-year span period. The paper shows the comparison between observed landslide localizations and model predictions. A quantitative comparison between the SLIP model and TRIGRS is presented, only for the most important event that occurred during the analyzed period. Overall, the results of the stability analyses based on observed rainfalls show the capability of the SLIP model to predict, in real-time and on a wide area, the occurrence of the analyzed phenomena.     

Spectral element analysis to evaluate the stability of long and steep slopes

This paper evaluates the stability of long and steep slopes examining the effect of the critical length/depth ratio, L/H, and critical slope angle, β _cr, by comparing the results of infinite slope equation with the spectral element method. In addition, the influence of uphill and downhill boundaries on stability of long and steep slopes is also evaluated in theoretical domains. As an example, this paper presents a stability analysis of long and steep vegetated and barren slopes in saturated and seismic conditions, and also evaluates the effectiveness of the infinite slope equation for those slopes. In the vegetated slopes, the root zone may not extend to the whole depth of slope, which may lead to overestimating the factor of safety by infinite slope equation. This paper examines the applicability of the infinite slope equation for infinitely long, steep, and shallow slope model by comparing the results of the spectral element method.     

How does the water–rock interaction of marly rocks affect its mechanical properties in the Three Gorges reservoir area,China?

Marly rock is a sensitive rock group of landslides in the Three Gorges reservoir area, China. It is composed predominantly of carbonate and clay minerals, water–rock interaction (WRI) of which could activate landslides in the reservoir area. To study the mechanism by which WRI affects the mechanical properties of marly rock, samples were collected from two boreholes (depth 301.78 and 307.14 m) and slope surface. Then, laboratory tests were designed to study the quantitative relationship between mineral contents and mechanical properties of intact rock, to analyze both change process of mineral composition and microstructure under short-term and long-term WRI. Finally, the change in mechanical properties and its effect on slope stability are suggested. This study indicates that the uniaxial compressive strength and Poisson ratio can be estimated by linear regression equations: (1) σ _c = 8.959 × (C/Q) ? 0.744 × CM + 58.516; (2) μ = 0.014 × (C/Q) ? 0.001 × CM + 0.234. The chemical reactions of WRI mainly included dissolution and ion exchange. On the slope surface, dissolution mainly acts on calcite, illite, dolomite, feldspar and other minerals dissolved in water. Underground, both chemical reactions of dissolution and ion exchange easily approach equilibrium with long-term seepage. Small-size minerals and micropores damage the stable microstructure of marly rock. These changes of minerals and microstructure can trigger shallow slope failure and develop deep creep deformation along some crash zones in the reservoir shoreline.