Behaviour of retrogressive thaw slumps in northern Canada—three-year monitoring results from 18 sites

Eighteen (18) retrogressive thaw slumps (typical landslides in ice-rich permafrost) in northern Canada were monitored for 3 years to investigate the characteristics of their retrogressive behaviour. The head scarp retreat distances and scarp wall heights were measured annually. The first year monitoring results from 13 of the sites were released earlier, which demonstrated a correlation between thaw retrogression rate and scarp wall height. More data were obtained from a subsequent 2 years of monitoring and with five monitoring locations added. The additional data enhanced the initial findings that the retrogression rate increased with the increase of the scarp wall height. An updated correlation between the retrogression rate and scarp wall height is presented in this paper. The effect of slope orientation on thaw slump retrogression was also investigated. The data provided evidence that the occurrence of the retrogressive thaw slumps had no preference over slope orientation. The retrogression rates were also not affected by the slope facing direction.     

多年冻土区斜坡稳定性研究综述

全球变暖、极端天气频发,引发的地质灾害对自然生态环境和人类生产生活造成了很大的影响。尤其对气候变化较为敏感的高温（年平均地温>-1 °C）和高含冰量多年冻土区,气候变暖以及人类活动导致的冻融地质灾害日益频繁。冻土退化条件下,土体结构和物理力学性质发生改变,黏聚力和抗剪强度降低,造成多年冻土区斜坡发生滑坡、崩塌、泥流等灾害。斜坡失稳加剧了多年冻土区脆弱生态环境的恶化,同时对建（构）筑物安全运营产生威胁。与非冻土区相比,多年冻土区斜坡稳定性研究主要针对高含冰量斜坡段,斜坡失稳模式主要以热融滑塌和活动层滑脱为主。热融滑塌由斜坡段地下冰暴露融化引起,而活动层滑脱产生的原因是冻土融化导致土体孔隙水压力过大,形成的超孔隙水压力降低了土体强度,造成斜坡失稳。此外,多年冻土区斜坡失稳模式还包括融冻泥流、崩塌以及蠕变滑坡等。通过综述近期多年冻土区斜坡稳定性研究进展,概括了多年冻土区斜坡失稳的模式、特征、影响因素、失稳机理、分析方法及防治措施等,并对未来多年冻土区斜坡失稳的研究重点提出建议。     

Slope instability phenomena in permafrost regions of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China

Permafrost covers a significant area of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Slope instability problem in the region was often neglected, though it plays important roles in engineering construction and landform processes. In this paper, the slope instability phenomena in the permafrost regions on the plateau are discussed. The slope failures often occur in the forms of thaw-induced landslides and gelifluction. Thaw-induced landslides are closely related to active layer detachment and changes of permafrost conditions. Such landslides include retrogressive flow and thaw slump and are hazardous to engineering constructions. Gelifluction includes deep-seated movement and surface movement. It is an important factor in landform planation because it may spread over a large area and remain active for a long period of time.     

青藏高原多年冻土区热融滑塌发育特征及规律

在全球气候变暖和高原多年冻土持续退化的背景下,青藏高原多年冻土区热融滑塌现象普遍发育,其形成不仅影响区域生态环境,还可能威胁工程构筑物的稳定性。本文在多年野外调查工作的基础上,结合遥感及历史气象资料对青藏高原多年冻土区热融滑塌的诱发因素、分布特征及演化过程进行了分析。结果表明：冻土活动层滑脱的发生是诱发青藏高原多年冻土区热融滑塌的主要因素,其次为工程扰动和湖水的热侵蚀;活动层滑脱型热融滑塌的发育过程主要包括冻土活动层滑脱的发生、后缘坍塌后退及坡面泥流的形成等三个阶段,热融滑塌形成以后其溯源侵蚀过程将持续数年甚至十几年直到后缘位置地下冰含量明显减少或者消失为止;在空间分布方面,热融滑塌更倾向于分布在坡度较为平缓（3°~8°）的丘陵山地及山麓区域的阴坡一侧;近年来青藏高原多年冻土区热融滑塌呈剧烈增多的趋势,且这种骤增现象主要发生在有极端气温出现的特殊年份,并不是均匀的分布在每一年。研究成果对未来青藏高原工程规划、资源开发及环境协调发展具有重要的指导意义。     

青藏高原多年冻土区两类低角度滑坡灾害形成机理探讨

青藏高原多年冻土区发育的两类低角度滑坡--融冻泥流和热融滑塌是冻融循环条件下特殊的斜坡失稳类型,在广大的非冻土地区一般很难见到这种低角度的滑坡类型。探讨了两类低角度滑坡灾害的形成机理,即质点迁移效应和滞水润滑效应。以摩尔-库仑强度准则为理论基础,应用所推导的沿坡面平行方向渗流条件下安全系数的统一形式,对青藏公路k3035里程热融滑塌体稳定性进行了分析评价,验证了活动层沿厚层地下冰面滑动的“滞水润滑效应”。从环境工程地质学的观点出发,针对热融滑塌这种可控的滑坡地质灾害,提出了基于保护冻土原则的具体的防治措施。     

A Simplified Numerical Approach for the Prediction of Rainfall-Induced Retrogressive Landslides

Retrogressive landslides are common geological phenomena in mountainous areas and on onshore and offshore slopes. The impact of retrogressive landslides is different from that of other landslide types due to the phenomenon of retrogression. The hazards caused by retrogressive landslides may be increased because retrogressive landslides usually affect housing, facilities, and infrastructure located far from the original slopes. Additionally, substantial geomorphic evidence shows that the abundant supply of loose sediment in the source area of a debris flow is usually provided by retrogressive landslides that are triggered by the undercutting of water. Moreover, according to historic case studies, some large landslides are the evolution result of retrogressive landslides. Hence the ability to understand and predict the evolution of retrogressive landslides is crucial for the purpose of hazard mitigation. This paper discusses the phenomenon of a retrogressive landslide by using a model experiment and suggests a reasonably simplified numerical approach for the prediction of rainfall-induced retrogressive landslides. The simplified numerical approach, which combines the finite element method for seepage analysis, the shear strength reduction finite element method, and the analysis criterion for the retrogression and accumulation effect, is presented and used to predict the characteristics of a retrogressive landslide. The results show that this numerical approach is capable of reasonably predicting the characteristics of retrogressive landslides under rainfall infiltration, particularly the magnitude of each landslide, the position of the slip surface, and the development processes of the retrogressive landslide. Therefore, this approach is expected to be a practical method for the mitigation of damage caused by rainfall-induced retrogressive landslides.     

Thaw-induced slope failures and stability analyses in permafrost regions of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,China

The distribution of permafrost-related slope failures along the Qinghai-Tibet Highway from Wuddaoliang to Fenghuoshan correlates with ice content, slope gradient, and ground temperature. Slope failures are of two types. (1) Retrogressive thaw slumps result from icy permafrost being exposed by either man-induced excavation or fluvial-thermal erosion and undercutting of basal slopes. (2) Active-layer-detachment failures are caused by thaw of icy permafrost at the active layer-permafrost interface. After initial failure, active-layer-detachment failures can lead to retrogressive thaw-slumping and localized surficial landslide. Common trigger mechanisms for failure include high summer air temperatures and heavy summer precipitation. A third possible trigger mechanism for slope failure is earthquake occurrence. A geotechnical slope stability analysis was undertaken for an active-layer-detachment failure that had progressed into a retrogressive thaw slump. A safety factor (F _s ) of 1.24 for the natural slope was determined using in situ tested strength parameters. However, the slope would lose stability when either the groundwater level over the permafrost table exceeded 1.42 m or seismic acceleration reached, or exceeded, 0.03?g.     

基于遥感影像的祁连山区俄博岭热融滑塌发育特征

热融滑塌是山地多年冻土退化最直接的表现形式之一,通过解译祁连山俄博岭地区遥感影像,结合实地考察,对俄博岭热融滑塌的空间分布和时间变化进行了研究,明确了热融滑塌的发育特征。结果表明,俄博岭热融滑塌发育活跃,1997~2015年热融滑塌数量增加(11~13个),面积增大(7765~20605m^2),其中1997~2009年面积增加速率为679.9m^2/a,2009~2015年面积增加速率为780.2m^2/a。通过分析热融滑塌景观分布与地形因子的关系,发现俄博岭热融滑塌在海拔3570~3700m,坡度3°~10°的富冰多年冻土区北向斜坡发育;通过对典型热融滑塌溯源后退速率分析发现,1997~2009年其平均后退速率为2m/a,2009~2015年平均后退速率为5m/a,呈明显增大趋势,且其后退速率主要与坡度、地下冰含量和地表径流相关。     

青藏高原多年冻土区斜坡稳定性研究进展

青藏高原多年冻土区斜坡失稳是伴随着青藏公路建设和运营过程中出现的一种灾害性的地质现象，其中以热融滑塌最为显著。本文根据斜坡失稳时所处的环境以融滑塌为例，提出了冻融循环过程中流塑状粉土沿厚层地下冰面滑动的滞水润滑效应的形成机理；通过相似模拟试验，可以看出，垂直于坡面的变形主要表现为融沉变形和部分冻胀变形；建立了温度场、变形场的数值模拟模型，分析了坡体不同深度在冻融循环过程中的位移变化规律，得出冻土斜坡位移主要发生在浅部的结论。最后指出目前研究存在的主要问题及进一步的研究方向。     

Thermokarst-lake-basin sediments, Tuktoyaktuk Coastlands, western arctic Canada

Three stages of deposition are distinguished in thermokarst-lake-basin sequences in ice-rich permafrost of the Tuktoyaktuk Coastlands, western arctic Canada: (1) widespread retrogressive thaw slumping around lake margins that rapidly transports upland sediments into thermokarst lakes, forming a distinctive basal unit of impure sand and/or diamicton; (2) a reduction or cessation of slumping-because of the pinching out of adjacent ground ice, slump stabilization or climatic cooling, that reduces the input of clastic sediment, permitting reworking of sediment around lake margins and suspension settling, principally in basin centres; (3) lakes drain and deposition may continue by gelifluction and accumulation of in situ peat or aeolian sand. Radiocarbon dating of detrital peat and wood from a progradational sequence (basal unit) defines a lateral younging trend in the direction of progradation. A progradation rate is calculated to be ～ 4 cm yr^?1, consistent with rapid deposition during stage (1) above. The nonuniform nature of the trend is attributed to episodic influxes of old organic material by slumping and reworking by waves and currents. In comparison with thermokarst-lake-basin sequences previously described in Alaska, Canada and Siberia, the middle unit of those in the Tuktoyaktuk Coastlands is similar, whereas the basal unit is generally thicker and, by contrast, often contains diamicton. These differences are attributed, respectively, to larger-scale resedimentation of upland sediments by retrogressive thaw slumping and debris-flow deposition in thermokarst lakes in the Tuktoyaktuk Coastlands. Compared with the sediments within supraglacial lakes in areas of moderate to high relief, the middle unit of thermokarst-lake-basin sequences in the Tuktoyaktuk Coastlands lacks clastic varves and the basal unit is much thinner and texturally less variable. These differences are attributed to higher relief and larger volumes of meltwater and glacigenic sediment in supraglacial lakes, which promote more suspension settling and resedimentation of glacigenic sediment than in thermokarst lakes in the Tuktoyaktuk Coastlands. It may be impossible to distinguish glacial and periglacial thermokarst-lake-basin sediments in permafrost areas of incomplete deglaciation. Not only is it often difficult to distinguish intrasedimental and buried glacier ice, but the depositional processes associated with thaw of both ice types are presumably the same and the host sediments very similar.     

The development of near-surface ground ice during the Holocene at sites near Mayo,Yukon Territory,Canada

An examination of soil thermal and hydrologic regimes at several sites near Mayo, Yukon Territory, and the ground-ice stratigraphy of a thaw-slump headwall close to these sites supports the hypothesis that an ice-rich zone, frequently observed at the base of the active layer, may be due to the annual water balance of permafrost. Observations demonstrate that ice lenses have grown at the top of permafrost in soil tubes installed in 1983. In addition, 90 cm of segregated ice are exposed in the thaw-slump headwall above a thaw unconformity, dated at 8870 ± 200 years BP, but below the base of the present active layer. These data suggest that the rate of water incorporation into permafrost over the last 8000 years in the Mayo area has been at least 0.1 mm yr^?1.     

Cryospheric hazards

Glaciers are an important element of the Earth system. Glaciers provide numerous, though poorly appreciated, ecological and economic benefits. However, glacial processes can also be hazards. Local glacial hazards include catastrophic floods from lakes impounded by glaciers and their moraines, landslides and debris flows induced by glacier thinning and retreat and permafrost thaw, and enhanced seismicity and volcanism due to large‐scale deglaciation. Regionally, rivers can be affected by changes in sediment supply from glacier forefields. Perhaps the greatest hazard that glaciers pose on a global scale of coastal erosion and flooding caused by sea‐level rise. If Earth's climate continues to warm, as scientists forecast, the rate of sea‐level rise will increase and some low‐lying coastal areas will be flooded by the end of this century.     

土壤的冷生构造及其对阿拉斯加土地利用的意义

Cryogenic structure (patterns made by ice inclusions) in seasonally frozen and permafrost-af-fected soils result from ice formation during freezing. Analysis of cryogenic structures in soils is essential to our understanding of the cryogenic processes in soils and to formulating land use management interpretations. When soils freeze, the freezing front moves downward and attracts water moving upward resulting in mainly horizontal lenticular ice formation. Platy and lenticular soil structures form between ice lenses in upper active layer. The reticular soil structure usually forms above the permafrost table caused by freeze-back of the permafrost. The upward freeze-back resulted in platy soil structure and the volume changes following the annual freeze-thaw cycle resulted in vertical cracks. The combined result is an ice-net formation with mineral soils embedded in the ice net. The upper permafrost layer that used to be a part of the active layer has an ice content exceeding 50% due to repeated freeze-thaw cycles over time. The mineral soils appear in blocks embedded in an ice matrix. The permafrost layer that never experienced the freeze-thaw cycle often consists of alternate layers of thin ice lens and frozen soils with extreme hard consistence and has relatively lower ice content than the ice-rich layer of the upper permafrost. Ice contents and thaw settling potentials associated with each cryogenic structure should be considered in engineering and land use interpretations.     

The Khyex River landslide of November 28, 2003, Prince Rupert British Columbia Canada

On November 28, 2003, at about 00:30 PST, 35 km east of Prince Rupert in northwestern British Columbia, an extremely rapid, retrogressive liquefaction earth flow, or a clay flow-slide, severed the natural gas pipeline. As a result, Prince Rupert residents were without natural gas heat for 10 days. The landslide has a steep main scarp that is 45 m high by 345 m wide. It consists of glaciomarine sediments mantled by rubbly colluvium lying on, and against smooth bedrock of the valley wall. It covers an area of 32 ha, and displaced about 4.7 M m³ of material. This displaced material flowed up and down river over a distance of 1.7 km, blocked the river, and caused flooding upstream for a distance of 10 km. This landslide is the most recent of four large landslides that have occurred over the last four decades in glaciomarine sediments in northwestern British Columbia.     

火后泥石流形成过程的物源启动模式研究

火后泥石流是火烧迹地最为严重的次生地质灾害,相对于传统泥石流和震后泥石流,其物源启动模式及致灾机理呈现出特殊性。通过对四川省乡城县仁额拥沟火烧迹地沟道不同时间尺度下的累积侵蚀量统计分析,将火烧迹地物源启动分为3个阶段:坡面侵蚀阶段、高含沙水流沟道侵蚀阶段和泥石流沟道刨蚀阶段,其中面蚀到沟蚀转变所需的汇流面积与斜坡倾斜度和火烈度呈负相关,高含沙水流转变为泥石流后常常造成沟道侵蚀率的激增;火烧后2 a的坡面侵蚀量相当于火烧前10~30 a的侵蚀总量,且主要发生在中度及严重火烧区;火烧区的滑坡发育率远高于未火烧区,但未发现火烈度对滑坡体积有明显影响,其主要受临空面高度影响,并呈幂函数正相关,滑坡物源启动模式为坡脚切坡触发的逐级牵引后退式补给。     

Three dimensional analysis of large strain thaw consolidation in permafrost

Thaw consolidation of ice-rich permafrost is a typical problem in cold regions engineering. This paper proposes a three dimensional analysis of large strain thaw consolidation for post-thawed zone of permafrost, which is defined by a moving thawing boundary problem with phase changes. The theory is implemented in a numerical code and the numerical results are compared with thaw consolidation tests. For problems with low water contents, the small and large strain methods provide virtually the same results. For problems with high water contents, however, the large strain theory shows a much better performance.     

Permafrost degradation and subsurface-flow changes caused by surface warming trends

Change dynamics of permafrost thaw, and associated changes in subsurface flow and seepage into surface water, are analysed for different warming trends in soil temperature at the ground surface with a three-phase two-component flow system coupled to heat transport. Changes in annual, seasonal and extreme flows are analysed for three warming-temperature trends, representing simplified climate-change scenarios. The results support previous studies of reduced temporal variability of groundwater flow across all investigated trends. Decreased intra-annual flow variability may thus serve as an early indicator of permafrost degradation before longer-term changes in mean flows are notable. This is advantageous since hydrological data are considerably easier to obtain, may be available in longer time series, and generally reflect larger-scale conditions than direct permafrost observations. The results further show that permafrost degradation first leads to increasing water discharge, which then decreases as the permafrost degradation progresses further to total thaw. The most pronounced changes occur for minimum annual flows. The configuration considered represents subsurface discharge from a generic heterogeneous soil-type domain.     

Dynamic modelling of retrogressive landslides with emphasis on the role of clay sensitivity

This paper presents a detailed numerical study of the retrogressive failure of landslides in sensitive clays. The dynamic modelling of the landslides is carried out using a novel continuum approach, the particle finite element method, complemented with an elastoviscoplastic constitutive model. The multiwedge failure mode in the collapse is captured successfully, and the multiple retrogressive failures that have been widely observed in landslides in sensitive clays are reproduced with the failure mechanism, the kinematics, and the deposition being discussed in detail. Special attention has been paid to the role of the clay sensitivity on each retrogressive failure as well as on the final retrogression distance and the final run‐out distance via parametric studies. Moreover, the effects of the viscosity of sensitive clays on the failure are also investigated for different clay sensitivities.     

Rapid runoff via shallow throughflow and deeper preferential flow in a boreal catchment underlain by frozen silt (Alaska, USA)

In high-latitude catchments where permafrost is present, runoff dynamics are complicated by seasonal active-layer thaw, which may cause a change in the dominant flowpaths as water increasingly contacts mineral soils of low hydraulic conductivity. A 2-year study, conducted in an upland catchment in Alaska (USA) underlain by frozen, well-sorted eolian silt, examined changes in infiltration and runoff with thaw. It was hypothesized that rapid runoff would be maintained by flow through shallow soils during the early summer and deeper preferential flow later in the summer. Seasonal changes in soil moisture, infiltration, and runoff magnitude, location, and chemistry suggest that transport is rapid, even when soils are thawed to their maximum extent. Between June and September, a shift occurred in the location of runoff, consistent with subsurface preferential flow in steep and wet areas. Uranium isotopes suggest that late summer runoff erodes permafrost, indicating that substantial rapid flow may occur along the frozen boundary. Together, throughflow and deep preferential flow may limit upland boreal catchment water and solute storage, and subsequently biogeochemical cycling on seasonal to annual timescales. Deep preferential flow may be important for stream incision, network drainage development, and the release of ancient carbon to ecosystems.     

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.