基于非确定性分析法的顺层边坡抗震性研究

顺层岩质边坡的抗震性指标大部分都是非确定的,无法用固定阈值衡量。提出基于非确定性分析法的顺层边坡抗震性性能研究,将顺层岩质边坡看作若干个叠加的薄板;运用非确定性分析法计算各个薄板的动力安全系数和动力极限状态方程,并对顺层边坡动力极限状态方程进行求解,可得在地震作用力下顺层边坡动力可靠度指标与顺层边坡失效概率之间的关系;评估地震作用力下顺层边坡整体稳定性,同时综合考量顺岩边坡的最小平均安全系数以及平均失效概率,得出评估结果。实验结果显示,在地震作用力下,顺层边坡坡高、坡角、岩层倾角对顺岩边坡抗震性能影响显著,评估结果与实际结果一致。     

The influence of weathering on the geotechnical properties and slope angles of mudstone in the Mineoka earth-slide area,Japan

Three active earth-slide slopes of Tertiary mudstone were investigated: Slope 1 has an angle of 17 ?4°, Slope 2 of 12.9°, and Slope 3 of 11.6°. Infinite slope analysis indicated that the instability of these three slopes can be well explained by using the residual strength parameters of earth-slide soils near the sliding surface in conjunction with the highest ground water table. The residual angle of shearing resistance, ø'_r, plays an important role in the determination of slope angle because it differs greatly among slopes. Mineralogical studies and X-ray diffraction analyses were performed for the clay minerals included in the slope material. The results showed that illite and chlorite were found in Slope 1, and also in Slopes 2 and 3 together with interstratified illite/montmorillonite and montmorillonite. The degree of weathering is progressive in order of Slopes 1, 2 and 3. The alteration of clay minerals by weathering causes the reduction in ø'_r -values, i.e., 19.4° in Slope 1 (steep, less weathered) and 12.1-9.2° in Slopes 2 and 3 (gentle, much more weathered). This result indicates that the degree of weathering has a great influence on the value of ø'_r, which in turn determines the slope angle.     

岩层倾角对顺倾向边坡地震效应的影响

利用FLAC3D软件模拟地震作用下不同岩层倾角的顺倾向边坡,对比坡面峰值加速度放大系数、峰值位移、地震作用结束后坡体剪应变增量的变化规律,探讨岩层倾角对顺倾边坡地震效应的影响。研究表明:(1)在水平地震波作用下,坡面水平峰值加速度放大作用随岩层倾角增大而线性减小;(2)当岩层倾角小于软弱岩层内摩擦角时,坡面峰值位移较小且变化规律受岩层倾角影响不明显,当岩层倾角大于软弱岩层内摩擦角且小于30°时坡面峰值位移增大,大于60°时减小;(3)岩层倾角小于坡角时,残余剪应变增量最大值集中在坡面中下部软弱岩层处,反之,剪应变增量最大值出现在整个坡面并呈弧形区。     

Effects of geological structures on rainfall-runoff responses in headwater catchments in a sedimentary rock mountain

Clarifying rainfall-runoff responses in mountainous areas is essential for disaster prediction as well as water resource management. Although runoff is considered to be significantly affected by topography, some previous studies have reported that geological structures also have significant effects on rainfall-runoff characteristics. Particularly in headwater catchments located in sedimentary rock mountains, dips and strikes may significantly affect rainwater discharge. In this study, the effects of geological structures on rainfall-runoff characteristics were investigated based on observed discharge hydrographs from 12 catchments, which lie radially from the summit of a sedimentary rock mountain. The results obtained were as follows: (1) Even though the topographic wetness index (TWI) distributions of the 12 catchments were similar, there were significant differences in their runoff characteristics; (2) Catchments with average flow direction oriented towards the strike direction (strike-oriented catchments) are characterized by large baseflows; (3) Catchments with average flow direction oriented towards the opposite dip direction (opposite dip-oriented catchments) are steep, and this results in quick storm runoff generation; (4) Catchments with average flow direction oriented toward the dip direction (dip-oriented catchments) are gentle, and this results in delayed storm runoff generation. It was presumed that in strike-oriented catchments, large quantities of groundwater flowing along the bedding planes owing to hydraulic anisotropy, exfiltrate and sustain the large amount of the observed baseflow, that is, in strike-oriented catchments, runoff is directly controlled by geological structures. Conversely, in opposite dip-oriented and dip-oriented catchments, runoff is indirectly controlled by geological structures, that is, geological structures affect slope gradients, which result in differences in storm runoff generation. Thus, this study clearly illustrates that geological structures significantly affect rainfall-runoff responses in headwater catchments located in sedimentary rock mountains.     

Erosional power in the Swiss Alps: characterization of slope failure in the Illgraben

Landslides and rockfalls are key geomorphic processes in mountain basins. Their quantification and characterization are critical for understanding the processes of slope failure and their contributions to erosion and landscape evolution. We used digital photogrammetry to produce a multi‐temporal record of erosion (1963–2005) of a rock slope at the head of the Illgraben, a very active catchment prone to debris flows in Switzerland. Slope failures affect 70% of the study slope and erode the slope at an average rate of 0.39 ± 0.03 m yr¯¹. The analysis of individual slope failures yielded an inventory of ~2500 failures ranging over 6 orders of magnitude in volume, despite the small slope area and short study period. The slope failures form a characteristic magnitude–frequency distribution with a rollover and a power‐law tail between ~200 m³ and 1.6 × 10⁶ m³ with an exponent of 1.65. Slope failure volume scales with area as a power law with an exponent of 1.1. Both values are low for studies of bedrock landslides and rockfall and result from the highly fractured and weathered state of the quartzitic bedrock. Our data suggest that the magnitude–frequency distribution is the result of two separate slope failure processes. Type (1) failures are frequent, small slides and slumps within the weathered layer of highly fractured rock and loose sediment, and make up the rollover. Type (2) failures are less frequent and larger rockslides and rockfalls within the internal bedded and fractured slope along pre‐determined potential failure surfaces, and make up the power‐law tail. Rockslides and rockfalls of high magnitude and relatively low frequency make up 99% of the total failure volume and are thus responsible for the high erosion rate. They are also significant in the context of landscape evolution as they occur on slopes above 45° and limit the relief of the slope. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

基于地震活动性资料估计海原断裂倾角

本文以海原断裂带区域活动构造为基础,将海原断裂划分为西、中、东3段.基于1999年12月26日至2010年7月26日间的精定位小震目录,估计了海原断裂带各段的倾角.考虑海原断裂沿走向可能存在南倾与北倾两种情况,将倾角的范围设置为.首先运用网格搜索法确定了平面断层模型,其次以特征深度节点为基础数据运用多项式构建了曲面断层模型.结果表明：当进行平面拟合时,海原断裂西段与中段、东段的倾向不同,西段为南倾,其倾角值为71°,而中段、东段为北倾,其倾角值分别为72°、65°,各段的倾角值均由地表以下8 km地震资料确定.当进行曲面拟合时,在8 km深度以内海原断裂西段、中段、东段的倾角均处于80°左右,即接近陡立.西段的倾角在深度为9 km处出现转换,之后倾角接近陡立;中段的倾角在深度为16 km处出现转换,之后倾角逐渐减小,当深度为18 km时倾角为30°;东段的倾角在深度为11 km处出现转换,倾角为42°,在深度为16 km处出现第二次转换,倾角为55°,之后倾角逐渐减小.结合震源机制解和大地测量观测资料反演拟合的合理性,验证了本文所估计倾角的可靠性.     

Topographic thresholds for plant colonization on semi‐arid eroded slopes

Soil erosion plays an important role in plant colonization of semi‐arid degraded areas. In this study, we aimed at deepening our knowledge of the mechanisms that control plant colonization on semi‐arid eroded slopes in east Spain by (i) determining topographic thresholds for plant colonization, (ii) identifying the soil properties limiting plant establishment and (iii) assessing whether colonizing species have specific plant traits to cope with these limitations. Slope angle and aspect were surrogates of erosion rate and water availability, respectively. Since soil erosion and water availability can limit plant establishment and both can interact in the landscape, we analysed variations in colonization success (vegetation cover and species number) with slope angle on 156 slopes, as a function of slope aspect. After determining slope angle thresholds for plant colonization, soil was sampled near the threshold values for soil analysis [nitrogen, phosphorous, calcium carbonate (CaCO₃), water holding capacity]. Plant traits expressing the plant colonizing capacity were analysed both in the pool of species colonizing the steep slopes just below the threshold and in the pool of species inhabiting gentler slopes and absent from the slopes just below the threshold. Results show that the slope angle threshold for plant colonization decreased from north to south. For the vegetation cover, threshold values were 63°, 50°, 46°, 41° for the north, east, west and south slope aspect classes, respectively, and 65°, 53°, 49° and 45° for the species richness and the same aspect classes. No differences existed in soil properties at slope angle threshold values among slope aspects and between slope positions (just below and above the threshold) within slope aspect classes. This suggests that variations between slope aspect classes in the slope angle threshold result from differences in the colonizing capacity of plants which is controlled by water availability. Long‐distance dispersal and mucilage production were preferably associated with the pool of colonizing species. These results are discussed in the perspective of a more efficient ecological restoration of degraded semi‐arid ecosystems where soil erosion acts as an ecological filter for plant establishment. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Supra‐glacial deposition and flux of catastrophic rock–slope failure debris,south‐central Alaska

The ongoing debate over the effects of global environmental change on Earth's cryosphere calls for detailed knowledge about process rates and their variability in cold environments. In this context, appraisals of the coupling between glacier dynamics and para‐glacial erosion rates in tectonically active mountains remain rare. We contribute to filling this knowledge gap and present an unprecedented regional‐scale inventory of supra‐glacial sediment flux and hillslope erosion rates inferred from an analysis of 123 large (> 0·1 km²) catastrophic bedrock landslides that fell onto glaciers in the Chugach Mountains, Alaska, as documented by satellite images obtained between 1972 to 2008. Assuming these supra‐glacial landslide deposits to be passive strain markers we infer minimum decadal‐scale sediment yields of 190 to 7400 t km^–2 yr^–1 for a given glacier‐surface cross‐section impacted by episodic rock–slope failure. These rates compare to reported fluvial sediment yields in many mountain rivers, but are an order of magnitude below the extreme sediment yields measured at the snouts of Alaskan glaciers, indicating that the bulk of debris discharged derives from en‐glacial, sub‐glacial or ice‐proximal sources. We estimate an average minimum para‐glacial erosion rate by large, episodic rock–slope failures at 0·5–0·7 mm yr^–1 in the Chugach Mountains over a 50‐yr period, with earthquakes likely being responsible for up to 73% of this rate. Though ranking amongst the highest decadal landslide erosion rates for this size of study area worldwide, our inferred rates of hillslope erosion in the Chugach Mountains remain an order of magnitude below the pace of extremely rapid glacial sediment export and glacio‐isostatic surface uplift previously reported from the region. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Slope control on the frequency distribution of shallow landslides and associated soil properties,North Island,New Zealand

The extrapolation of results from field trials to larger areas of land for purposes of regional impact assessment is an important issue in geomorphology, particularly for landform properties that show high stochastic variability in space and time, such as shallow landslide erosion. It is shown in this study, that by identifying the main driver for spatial variability in shallow landslide erosion at field scales, namely slope angle, it is possible to develop a set of generic functions for assessing the impact of landslides on selected soil properties at larger spatial scales and over longer time periods. Research was conducted within an area of pastoral soft‐rock Tertiary hill country in the North Island of New Zealand that is subject to infrequent high intensity rainfall events, producing numerous landslides, most of which are smaller than several hundred square metres in size and remove soil to shallow depths. All landslides were mapped within a 0·6 km² area and registered to a high resolution (2 m) slope map to show that few landslides occur on slopes < 20° and 95% were on slopes > 24°. The areal density of landslides from all historical events showed an approximately linear increase with slope above 24°. Integrating landslide densities with soil recovery data demonstrates that the average value of a soil property fluctuates in a ‘saw‐tooth’ fashion through time with the overall shape of the curve controlled by the frequency of landslide inducing storm events and recovery rate of the soil property between events. Despite such fluctuations, there are gradual declines of 7·5% in average total carbon content of topsoil and 9·5% in average soil depth to bedrock, since the time of forest clearance. Results have application to large‐scale sediment budget and water quality models and to the New Zealand Soil Carbon Monitoring System (CMS). Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Controls on the stability and inclinations of hillslopes formed on hard rock

In identifying controls on rock slope form a distinction is made between: (1) rock slopes with joints which dip steeply out of a cliff and hence are subject to mass failure of the rock mass above a critical joint; and (2) rock slopes with inclinations which are either in equilibrium with the mass strength of their rocks, or have profiles which will develop towards strength equilibrium as cross joints open. In the first class of slope, stability results not just from the basic frictional resistance of the rock but also from the frictional roughness along the critical joint and from the normal stress acting across that joint. Stability may be reduced by weathering and loss of strength of the joint wall rock. As a result of normal stress variations with depth, induced by overburdens, high cliffs which are not undercut have a concave profile. The second group of slopes includes those with inclinations controlled at the scale of individual joint blocks, buttressed slopes and those on unjointed rock masses. Buttressed and unjointed rock masses develop towards a condition of mass strength equilibrium as cross joints open. Strength equilibrium slopes may be recognized by application of a rock mass strength classification proposed for geomorphic purposes. Eleven propositions are formulated which identify controls on rock slope development and some consequences of these controls.     

SIMULATION STUDY OF ROAD-CUT EFFECTS ON SLOPE STABILITY

Landslides and rock falls along the highway are common geological hazards in Southwest China. As an influencing factor on potential landslides behavior, roads or distance to roads have been successfully used in landslide susceptibility assessments in mountainous area. However, the relationship between the road-cut and the slope stability is not clear. Therefore, we performed two-dimensional slope stability calculation using the general limit equilibrium (GLE)method incorporated in the software SLOPE/W of GeoStudio for stability analysis of slopes. Our studies show that the man-made roads influence on the slope stability mainly exists in two ways:One is to create a new steep slope, which will result in rock falls and shallow landslides along the roads; the other is to influence the stability of the original slope, which will result in comparatively huge landslides. For the latter, our simulation study reveals that the road location, namely at which part of a natural slope to construct a road is important for the slope stability. For a natural slope with a potential slip surface, if a road is constructed at or near the slope toe where the potential slip surface surpasses, it will greatly degrade the slope's factor of safety (Fs) and make the slope unstable; however, if a rode-cut is near the top of the slope, it will increase the slope's Fs and make the slope more stable. The safety location is different for different slope angle, steeper slope needs a higher location for a safety road-cut in comparison with gentle slopes. Moreover, the slope stability decreases when loading a seismic force and it varies with the slope angle. Firstly, the Fs decreases when the slope angle increasing, and when the slope angle reaches 45°, the Fs then becomes greater with the slope angle increasing.     

Hillslope response to tectonic forcing in threshold landscapes

Hillslopes are thought to poorly record tectonic signals in threshold landscapes. Numerous previous studies of steep landscapes suggest that large changes in long‐term erosion rate lead to little change in mean hillslope angle, measured at coarse resolution. New LiDAR‐derived topography data enables a finer examination of threshold hillslopes. Here we quantify hillslope response to tectonic forcing in a threshold landscape. To do so, we use an extensive cosmogenic beryllium‐10 (¹⁰Be)‐based dataset of catchment‐averaged erosion rates combined with a 500 km² LiDAR‐derived 1 m digital elevation model to exploit a gradient of tectonic forcing and topographic relief in the San Gabriel Mountains, California. We also calibrate a new method of quantifying rock exposure from LiDAR‐derived slope measurements using high‐resolution panoramic photographs. Two distinct trends in hillslope behavior emerge: below catchment‐mean slopes of 30°, modal slopes increase with mean slopes, slope distribution skewness decreases with increasing mean slope, and bedrock exposure is limited; above mean slopes of 30°, our rock exposure index increases strongly with mean slope, and the prevalence of angle‐of‐repose debris wedges keeps modal slopes near 37°, resulting in a positive relationship between slope distribution skewness and mean slope. We find that both mean slopes and rock exposure increase with erosion rate up to 1 mm/a, in contrast to previous work based on coarser topographic data. We also find that as erosion rates increase, the extent of the fluvial network decreases, while colluvial channels extend downstream, keeping the total drainage density similar across the range. Our results reveal important textural details lost in 10 or 30 m resolution digital elevation models of steep landscapes, and highlight the need for process‐based studies of threshold hillslopes and colluvial channels. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

断裂性质与滑坡分布的关系——以汶川地震中的大型滑坡为例

越来越多的地震滑坡相对于地震断层的不对称分布震例让人们意识到断层上盘效应的存在。 然而,目前有关断裂运动方式与滑坡空间分布关系的研究还不够充分和深入。在收集大量地震滑坡震例资料并获得其分布规律的基础上,建立了一个简化的断层模型,以地震波在地表与断层面之间反射传播特性为基础,探讨断层倾角改变对地表地震动强度的影响。进而,以汶川地震触发的大型滑坡为例,研究了断层的几何特征和运动方式对诱发滑坡空间分布的影响。结果表明,断层的倾角对滑坡空间分布范围具有控制作用,随着倾角的增加,垂直断层走向的滑坡分布范围逐渐减小;并且,大型滑坡的初始坡面受到断裂运动方向的影响,与断裂运动方向一致的坡面更容易发生滑坡。所获结果不仅有助于提高区域性地震滑坡危险区域的预测精度,而且对认识大型滑坡的滑动机制、主控因素以及可能的滑动规模、滑距等也起到促进作用。通过对滑坡崩塌的认识来辅助提高对地质构造、地震断层等的认识,应是地震诱发滑坡崩塌研究的新的意义所在。     

CHARACTERISTICS AND FORMATION MECHANISM OF LARGE ROCK AVALANCHES TRIGGERED BY THE LUDIAN MS6.5 EARTHQUAKE AT HONGSHIYAN AND GANJIAZHAI

The 3 August 2014 Ludian, Yunnan M_S6.5 earthquake has spawned more than 1, 000 landslides which are from several tens to several millions and over ten millions of cubic meters in volumes. Among them, the Hongshiya and Ganjiazai landslides are the biggest two with volumes over 1 000×10⁴m³. The Hongshiya and Ganjiazai landslides are two typical landslides, the former belongs to tremendous rock avalanche, and the latter belongs to unconsolidated werthering deposit landslide developed in concave mountain slope. Based on field investigations, causes and formation mechanism of the two landslides are discussed in this study. The neotectonic movement in the area maintains sustainable uplifting violently all the time since Cenozoic. The landform process accompanied with the regional tectonic uplifting is the violent downward erosion along the Jinshajiang River and its tributary, forming landforms of high mountains and canyons, deeply cut valleys, with great height difference. The regional seismo-tectonics situation suggests that:Ludian earthquake region is situated on the southern frontier boundary of Daliangshan secondary active block, and is seismically the strongest active area with one earthquake of magnitude greater than M5.0 occurring every 6 years. Frequent and strong seismicity produces accumulated effects on the ground rock to gradually lower the mechanical strength of slopes and their stability, which is the basis condition to generate large-scale collapse and landslide at Hongshiyan and Ganjiazhai. The occurring of Hongshiyan special large rock avalanche is associated with the large terrain height difference, steep slope, soft interlayer structure and unloading fissures and high-angle joints. The formation mechanism of Hongshiyan rock avalanche may have three stages as follows:Stage 1, when P wave arriving, under the situation of free surface, rocks shake violently, the pre-existent joints(in red)parallel to and normal to the river and unloading cracks are opened and connected. Stage 2, on the basis of the first stage, when S wave arriving, the ground movement aggravates. Joints(in green)along beds develop further, resulting in rock masses intersecting each other. Stage 3, rock masses lose stability, sliding downward, collapsing, and moving over a short distance along the sliding surface to the inside of the valley, blocking the river to form the dammed lake. The special large landslide at Ganjiazhai is a weathering layer landslide occurring in the middle-lower of a large concave slope. Its formation process may have two stages as follows:Firstly, under strong ground shaking and gravity, the ground rock-soil body around moves and assembles to the lower of the central axis of the large concave slope, which suffers the largest earthquake inertia force and firstly yields plastic damage to generate compression-expansion deformation, because of the largest water content and volume-weight within the loose soil of it. Secondly, in view of the steep slope, along with the compression, the plastic deformation area enlarges further in the lower of slope, giving rise to a tensional stress area along the middle of the slope. As soon as the tensional stress exceeds the tensile strength of the weathering layer, a tensional fracture will occur and the landslide rolls away immediately making use of momentum. This two large landslides are the basic typical ones triggered by the M_S6.5 Ludian earthquake, and their causes and mechanism have a certain popular implication for the landslides occurring in this earthquake region.     

The effect of glaciation on the intensity of seismic ground motion

Seismicity is known to contribute to landscape denudation through its role in earthquake‐triggered slope failure; but little is known about how the intensity of seismic ground motions, and therefore triggering of slope failures, may change through time. Topography influences the intensity of seismic shaking – generally steep slopes amplify shaking more than flatter slopes – and because glacial erosion typically steepens and enlarges slopes, glaciation may increase the intensity of seismic shaking of some landforms. However, the effect of this may be limited until after glaciers retreat because valley ice or ice‐caps may damp seismic ground motions. Two‐dimensional numerical models (FLAC 6.0) were used to explore how edifice shape, rock stiffness and various levels of ice inundation affect edifice shaking intensity. The modelling confirmed that earthquake shaking is enhanced with steeper topography and at ridge crests but it showed for the first time that total inundation by ice may reduce shaking intensity at hill crests to about 20–50% of that experienced when no ice is present. The effect is diminished to about 80–95% if glacier ice level reduces to half of the mountain slope height. In general, ice cover reduced shaking most for the steepest‐sided edifices, for wave frequencies higher than 3 Hz, and when ice was thickest and the rock had shear stiffness well in excess of the stiffness of ice. If rock stiffness is low and shear‐wave velocity is similar to that of ice, the presence of ice may amplify the shaking of rock protruding above the ice surface. The modelling supports the idea that topographic amplification of earthquake shaking increases as a result of glacial erosion and deglaciation. It is possible that the effect of this is sufficient to have influenced the distribution of post‐glacial slope failures in glaciated seismically active areas. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Large ice‐contact slope movements: glacial buttressing,deformation and erosion

Glaciers and slope movements may act simultaneously to erode and modify glaciated slopes. Undercutting by glaciers can destabilize slopes but the extent to which slope failure may progress prior to subsequent glacier withdrawal has not hitherto been considered. The traditional view has been that the buttressing effect of ice prevents slope movement. The problem with this view is that ice is one‐third the density of rock and flows under low applied stress. Consequently, failed slopes may move into the glacier if they exert a stress in excess of the resistance provided by the glacier. Slope movement rate depends on ice rheology and other factors influencing driving and resisting stresses. Simple viscous equations are used to investigate these variables. The equations predict that small (<125 000 m³) ice‐contact rockslides can deform ice at several mm/year, increasing to several m/year for very large (>10⁸ m³) rockslides. To test these estimates, field evidence is presented of slope movements in glaciated valleys of New Zealand; narrowing or squeezing of glaciers adjacent to unstable rock slopes is demonstrated and considered to be the result of slope movement. For one site, geomorphic mapping and slope movement monitoring data show that movement rates are of similar order of magnitude to those predicted by the viscous equations; closer agreement could be achieved with the application of modelling techniques that can more realistically model the complex slope geometries and stability factors encountered, or by obtaining additional empirical data to calibrate the models. This research implies that, while the concept of glacial debuttressing – the reduction of slope support from withdrawal of glaciers – is valid, complete debuttressing is not a prerequisite for the movement of ice‐contact rock slopes. These slope movements may contribute to the erosional processes of glaciers and the evolution of glaciated slopes in a previously unrecognized way. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Is climate change responsible for changing landslide activity in high mountains?

Climate change, manifested by an increase in mean, minimum, and maximum temperatures and by more intense rainstorms, is becoming more evident in many regions. An important consequence of these changes may be an increase in landslides in high mountains. More research, however, is necessary to detect changes in landslide magnitude and frequency related to contemporary climate, particularly in alpine regions hosting glaciers, permafrost, and snow. These regions not only are sensitive to changes in both temperature and precipitation, but are also areas in which landslides are ubiquitous even under a stable climate. We analyze a series of catastrophic slope failures that occurred in the mountains of Europe, the Americas, and the Caucasus since the end of the 1990s. We distinguish between rock and ice avalanches, debris flows from de‐glaciated areas, and landslides that involve dynamic interactions with glacial and river processes. Analysis of these events indicates several important controls on slope stability in high mountains, including: the non‐linear response of firn and ice to warming; three‐dimensional warming of subsurface bedrock and its relation to site geology; de‐glaciation accompanied by exposure of new sediment; and combined short‐term effects of precipitation and temperature. Based on several case studies, we propose that the following mechanisms can significantly alter landslide magnitude and frequency, and thus hazard, under warming conditions: (1) positive feedbacks acting on mass movement processes that after an initial climatic stimulus may evolve independently of climate change; (2) threshold behavior and tipping points in geomorphic systems; (3) storage of sediment and ice involving important lag‐time effects. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

INTERPRETATION OF VLF-EM IN-PHASE DATA USING CURRENT DENSITY PSEUDOSECTIONS1

The interpretation of VLF-EM surveys in terms of buried conductors can be assisted by the application of a linear filter to the observed in-phase component of the vertical magnetic field. One such scheme is examined critically by using the calculated response from a variety of synthetic models to compute theoretical current density pseudosections. The results confirm that this filter technique provides a useful complementary tool for studying the third (i.e. depth) dimension. For single, steeply dipping plates (> 45°) diagnostic information may be derived concerning the depth, size, lateral location, and direction of dip, since the current density maxima seems always to occur within the conductor or at least within one data interval. However, there are some limitations which do not appear to be widely recognized. For single plates the angle of dip cannot be resolved by the current density transformation. Pattern distortions can occur where targets are in close proximity, where the cross-sectional form of the conductor is complex or where the dip is shallow (< 45°). In these latter cases the current density maxima may not occur within the conductive structure and therefore cannot be used to infer depth of burial and/or conductor shape with the same degree of confidence.