Lanslide hydrogeological susceptibility of Maierato (Vibo Valentia, Southern Italy)

A large landslide occurred at Maierato (Vibo Valencia District), Southern Italy, on 15 February 2010, when rapid failure was produced after several days of preliminary movements. The landslide can be classified as a rotational slide with flowing of the mass. It occurred within a larger deep-seated gravitational movement area and was preconditioned for failure by the intrinsic geological weakness of the area. Actually, the in situ survey showed the presence of several ancient movement surfaces all around the urban area. The landslide-triggering factor was the increase in the groundwater flow, consequent to a period of heavy and prolonged rainfall. The aim of the paper is to explain the mechanism of occurrence of the February 2010 composite landslide, in order to assess the landslide hydrogeological susceptibility in the whole urban area of Maierato. For this reason, the present paper deals with: (1) identification of the landslide mechanism and triggering factors (2) slope stability back-analysis using a finite-difference-based shear strength reduction method, and (3) 3D groundwater flow modelling extended to the whole urban area both in pre- and post-failure conditions. The results show that the February 2010 composite landslide was triggered by a water table increase of about 15 m uphill the landslide scarp. This hydrogeological condition could be reached after the period of heavy and prolonged rainfall preceding the landslide event. Finally, based on the groundwater modelling in post-failure condition, a landslide hydrogeological susceptibility map was drawn for the all urban area of Maierato, showing the presence of extended areas exposed to hazard.     

Failure processes in a full-scale landslide experiment using a rainfall simulator

A full-scale landslide experiment was conducted to clarify the failure process of a landslide triggered by rainfall, using a loose sandy soil. The experiment used a 23-m long and about 8-m high flume, consisting of three parts: an upper 30° slope section, a lower 10° slope section, and a horizontal section at the foot of the slope. The flume was sprinkled at a constant intensity of 100 mm/h. The landslide occurred first in the upper slope about 154 min after the sprinkling started, following a creep movement within 41 min. The sliding mass slid to a stop in about 5 s, compressing soils in the lower gentle slope and horizontal sections. The dynamic process related to slide movement and the fluctuation of subsurface water pressures during failure were measured and analyzed. Sequential visual observations provided a clear record of the slip surface during failure. The rapid increase of subsurface water pressure in the slope and horizontal soil layers was also recorded during failure. It was inferred that the increased water pressures in the upper slope resulted from collapse of loose soil structure during shearing in the translational slide, whereas those in the lower portion of the slope and horizontal sections resulted from a mix of soil compression and shearing by the sliding mass.     

The February 2010 large landslide at Maierato, Vibo Valentia, Southern Italy

A large landslide formed at Maierato (Vibo Valencia District), Southern Italy, on 15 February 2010, at 1430?hours local time, when rapid failure occurred after several days of preliminary movements. The landslide has an area of 0.3?km², a runout distance of 1.2?km and an estimated volume of about 10?Mm³. The landslide caused nearly 2,300 inhabitants to be evacuated, with high economic losses. The most probable trigger of the landslide was the cumulative precipitation over the preceding 20?days (having a return period of more than 100?years), which followed a long period of 4?C5?months of heavy rainfall (of about 150% of the average rainfall of the period). This report presents a summary of our findings pertinent to the landslide??s activities based on our field investigations. In particular, this report covers (1) details of land deformation caused by the landslide, (2) geology pertinent to landslide development, (3) identification of the landslide mechanism and its triggering factors based on the analysis of the boring core specimens and landform features, as well as the available video of the event, and (4) preliminary evaluation of the stability of the original slope before the landslide using the finite element-based shear strength reduction method. The aim of the paper was to describe the landslide and explain its mechanism of occurrence.     

Downslope volume enlargement of a debris slide–debris flow in the 1999 Hiroshima, Japan, rainstorm

Following a heavy rainstorm on 29 June 1999, hundreds of slope failures occurred in granitic mountains in Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan. Among these events, a highly mobile landslide (termed the Kameyama landslide in this paper), which occurred in Kameyama area of Hiroshima city, was the most catastrophic, and was investigated in detail. The displaced soil mass from the source area of this landslide traveled about 300 m and deposited a volume more than 10 times as great as that in the source area. The landslide originated in and traversed a valley-shaped concave slope covered by pre-existing colluvial debris deposits. In addition, a spring was visible in the source area and very shallow ground water was observed in an observation pit dug in the source area. Thus, it is inferred that the ground-water table rose quickly during the rainfall, and that this rise triggered the slope failure in the source area. Based on a field survey along the landslide cross section, a possible explanation for the mechanism of the landslide was obtained: the displaced soil mass from the source area impacted the debris deposit in the path of the landslide, thus triggering liquefaction failure of the saturated part of debris. The original landslide and the liquefied debris then moved downslope as a single mass. To examine this assumption, ring-shear tests were performed on samples taken from the source area. Undrained ring-shear tests on the saturated samples showed that the sample is highly liquefiable, and liquefaction failure could have been triggered in the debris deposits by a very small impact from the displaced soil mass of the initial failure. In addition, laboratory tests simulating the impacts on the debris deposits at natural water content, i.e., unsaturated (at the survey time, 2 days after the failure) showed that although shear failure could be caused by the assumed impact force, the displaced soils stopped after a few centimeters displacement, indicating that existence of a saturated zone in debris deposits is prerequisite for this kind of failure.     

Failure Mechanism of a Shallow Landslide at Tun-Sardon Road Cut Section of Penang Island,Malaysia

The occurrences of shallow landslides in residual soils of Penang hilly areas are common in rainy days. The failure mechanisms of a shallow landslide occurred at km 3.9 road in Tun-Sardon area of Penang Island have been simulated using two different methods of slope stability analysis. The results indicate that the failure was initiated locally inside the slope and then propagated further to induce total failure. The failure propagation was started from initial local failure zone and was driven by mobilized shear strength along the shear plane. The slope was marginally stable with an overall factor of safety of 1.32 before it failed to a rainfall event on September 6, 2008. It is found from back calculation that the rain infiltration raised the temporary water level and reduced the shearing strength of soil to a minimum level with increased pore water pressure to trigger the failure. This paper suggests further research on shallow landslide of Penang Island considering the direct rainfall infiltration effect in terms of groundwater pressure-head distribution inside the slope.     

Suggestion of a method for landslide early warning using the change in the volumetric water content gradient due to rainfall infiltration

An early warning system can be an effective measure to reduce the damage caused by landslides by facilitating the timely evacuation of residents from a landslide-prone area. Early detection of landslide triggering across a broad range of natural terrain types can be accomplished by monitoring rainfall and the physical property changes of soils in real time or near-real time. This study involved the installation of a real-time monitoring system to observe physical property changes in soils in a valley during rainfall events. This monitoring included the measurement of volumetric water content, which was compared with the results of laboratory flume tests to identify landslide indicators in the soils. The response of volumetric water content to rainfall events is more immediate than that of pore-water pressure, and volumetric water content retains its maximum value for some time before slope failure. Therefore, an alternative method for landslide monitoring can be based on the observation of volumetric water content and its changes over time at shallow soil depths. Although no landslide occurred, the field monitoring results showed a directly proportional relationship between the effective cumulative rainfall and the gradient of volumetric water content per unit time (t/t _max). This preliminary study thus related slope failure to the volumetric water content gradient as a function of rainfall. Laboratory results showed that a high amount of rainfall and a high gradient of volumetric water content could induce slope failure. Based on these results, it is possible to suggest a threshold value of the volumetric water content gradient demarcating the conditions for slope stability and slope failure. This threshold can thus serve as the basis of an early warning system for landslides considering both rainfall and soil properties.     

考虑土体参数空间变异性的边坡大变形破坏模式研究

边坡失稳是涉及土体大变形的动态演化过程,该过程往往决定了滑坡失事后果。传统的边坡稳定分析方法如极限平衡方法与有限元方法难以模拟边坡失稳演化过程,尤其是失稳后的土体变形破坏过程。边坡失稳受到多重不确定性因素影响,其中一个重要因素是土体参数的空间分布不均匀性。在考虑土体参数的空间不均匀分布情况下,本文采用一种随机极限平衡-物质点法研究边坡不同破坏模式的动态演化过程,同时利用极限平衡方法简单、高效的优点和物质点方法模拟土体大变形破坏的能力。以一个两层不排水土坡算例为例,识别了4种不同的边坡破坏模式（即浅层、中层、深层和渐进）,研究了它们的演化过程与土体参数的空间分布之间的关系。结果表明边坡的破坏模式演化过程与土体参数的空间分布密切相关,强调了岩土工程勘察信息对充分表征土体参数空间变异性的重要作用。     

Analysis of a progressive slope failure in the Xiangjiaba reservoir area,Southwest China

The rehabilitation construction in the reservoir area of Xiangjiaba hydropower station in Southwest China has caused many landslides. A shallow progressive failure that occurred on the resettlement site of Xin’an Town of Pingshan County in Sichuan Province was selected as a case study. This landslide occurred in a long and gently inclined area by slope excavation under rainfall conditions. It is about 3.0 m deep with a total length of 35 m and is composed of some subfailures. Undisturbed samples were retrieved, on which the basic properties, shear strength, expansive potential, mineral compositions, and microstructures were tested and analyzed. The results show (1) the landsliding materials belong to medium expansive soil, consisting of the clay minerals of illite–smectite (I/S) and chlorite–smectite (C/S); (2) shear strength of the soil is sensitive to water, which greatly decreases once saturated; and (3) many fractures and relatively large pores are developed in the soils. Back analysis of the landslide shows that the shear strength at failure is less than the residual shear strength obtained from lab tests, indicating that some processes contributing to the slope failure could not be reflected by the shear box test. Based on the above analysis, the progressive process of the slope failure was interpreted, and it is inferred that the rainfall entered into the slope mainly through fractures and relatively large pores in the soil. It caused not only the great decrease in soil strength but also the swelling trend. The latter one would lead to growth, interaction, and coalescence of the fractures. Soon after, these fractures formed the shear planes (zones), which further decreased the resistance of the landslide. Under these favorable conditions, the slope excavation directly triggered the failure.     

边坡物理模型倾斜加载方式的研究

模型试验是研究边坡失稳机制的重要技术手段,通过倾斜模型获得滑坡的变形破坏过程也是常用的试验方法。作为一种试验加载方法,倾斜加载方式的可控性、倾斜过程中应力场的相似性都是影响该方法应用的关键性问题。为了研究试验方法的可控性,以块状滑体为例,分析计算了模型倾斜和离心加载两种试验方法对滑块抗滑安全系数的影响过程,结果表明,倾斜加载方法可以随着倾斜角度的增加连续地降低滑块的抗滑安全系数,而离心加载方式仅在1g～10g范围内对滑块的抗滑安全系数产生显著影响。为了比较模型倾斜前后模型内部应力场的相似性,建立了物理模型的数值计算模型,模拟不同倾斜角条件下坡体内的应力场。计算结果表明,模型倾斜过程中,坡体中部应力状态保持稳定,倾斜角较大时,坡体的前缘滑带位置应力状态变化较大,前缘进入塑性变形的可能性增大,局部应力场变化有利于模拟水库型滑坡的破坏机制。为了验证倾斜模型模拟滑坡破坏过程的应用效果,以千将坪滑坡为原型,采用倾斜加载方式进行破坏模型试验,获得了滑坡的破坏过程。与非连续变形分析方法(DDA)模拟的结果相比,模型试验得到的破坏形态更接近实际滑坡。     

Stability analysis of an ancient landslide considering shear strength reduction behavior of slip zone soil

In this paper, the stability of an ancient landslide during the first impounding of a nearby reservoir is investigated through the analyses of the shear strength reduction behavior of slip zone soil. In view of the experimental observations, an empirical strain-dependent soil model is established and is then incorporated in finite element analyses. The numerical analysis results show that the failing sections progressively develop due to the soil strength declines from peak toward residual, and the shear zone propagates within the front slope. It is demonstrated in the numerical results that the toe weighting measure has a significant effect on restraining the shear displacements of the soils and preventing the progressive failure of the landslide. The field observations further confirmed the stability condition of the reinforced landslide.     

Mechanism and failure process of Qianjiangping landslide in the Three Gorges Reservoir,China

The Qianjiangping landslide is a large planar rock slide which occurred in July 14, 2003 shortly after the water level reached 135 m in the Three Gorges Reservoir, China. The landslide destroyed 4 factories and 129 houses, took 24 lives, and made 1,200 people homeless. Field investigation shows that the contributing factors for the landslide are the geological structure of the slope, the previous surface of rupture, the water level rise, and continuous rainfall. In order to reveal the mechanism and failure process of the landslide, numerical simulation was conducted on Qianjiangping slope before sliding. Based on the characteristics and the engineering conditions of the landslide, the topography and the geological profiles of Qianjiangping slope before sliding is reconstructed. The seepage field of Qianjiangping slope before sliding was simulated with the Geostudio software. The results show that ground water table rises and bends to the slope during the rise of water level, and the slope surface becomes partially saturated within the period of continuous rainfall. Using the ground water table obtained above, the failure process of Qianjiangping slope is simulated with the Flac3D software. The results demonstrate that the shear strain increment, displacement, and shear failure area of the slope increased greatly after the water level rose and continuous rained, and the landslide was triggered by the combined effect both of water level rise and continuous rainfall. The development of shear strain increment, displacement, and shear failure area of the slope shows that the landslide was retrogressive in the lower part of the slope and progressive in the upper part of the slope.     

Analysis of rainfall-induced infinite slope failure during typhoon using a hydrological–geotechnical model

Rainwater infiltration during typhoons tends to trigger slope instability. This paper presents the results of a study on slope response to rainwater infiltration during heavy rainfall in a mountain area of Taiwan. The Green-Ampt infiltration model is adopted here to study the behavior of rainwater infiltration on slopes. The failure mechanism of infinite slope is chosen to represent the rainfall-induced shallow slope failure. By combining rain infiltration model and infinite slope analysis, the proposed model can estimate the occurrence time of a slope failure. In general, if a slope failure is to happen on a slope covered with low permeability soil, failure tends to happen after the occurrence of the maximum rainfall intensity. In contrast, slope failure tends to occur prior to the occurrence of maximum rainfall intensity if a slope is covered with high-permeability soil. To predict the potential and timing of a landslide, a method is proposed here based on the normalized rainfall intensity (NRI) and normalized accumulated rainfall (NAR). If the actual NAR is higher than the NAR calculated by the proposed method, slope failure is very likely to happen. Otherwise, the slope is unlikely to fail. The applicability of the proposed model to occurrence time and the NAR–NRI relationship is evaluated using landslide cases obtained from the literature. The results of the proposed method are close to that of the selected cases. It verifies the applicability of the proposed method to slopes in different areas of the world. An erratum to this article can be found at     

Flow-type landslides in pyroclastic soils on flysch bedrock in southern Italy: the Bosco de’ Preti case study

In the last 20 years, major efforts have been made to investigate shallow flow-type landslides. Such phenomena are usually rainfall-induced and in the geological context of Campania (Southern Italy) occur in pyroclastic soils resting on steep slopes mainly constituted by carbonate or volcanic bedrock and by flysch deposits. They are generally complex landslides with an early soil slide and a subsequent flow evolution. In this paper, a database of flowslides occurring in recent years within the flysch deposits of Avellino (Campanian Apennines) is first discussed and then the case study of Bosco de’ Preti landslide on March 4, 2005, is described. The geological and geotechnical characteristics of the soils involved are described and the monitoring of the groundwater heads collected over 1 year from June 2005 to June 2006 is also shown. The last part of the paper illustrates the results of numerical modelling of the landslide triggering to gain insights into such phenomena. Slope stability analyses are preceded by hydrological modelling of the slope based on the monitoring data. Numerical analysis demonstrated that the rainfall during the 2 months preceding the event was able to fully saturate the pyroclastic cover and to establish positive pore water pressure at the depth of the surface of rupture, a soil condition never witnessed in carbonatic contexts. Hence, a combination of antecedent (predisposing factors) and single rainfall events (triggering factors) led to slope failure, as usually happens in pyroclastic soils in carbonatic and volcanic contexts. Finally, analysis of the historical landslides together with detailed investigation of the Bosco de’ Preti case study permitted comparison between flow-type landslides in pyroclastic soils on carbonatic/volcanic bedrock and those on flysch.     

北川县白什乡老街后山滑坡监测及失稳机制分析

北川县白什乡老街后山滑坡位于四川省绵阳市北川县城以西, 该滑坡发现时已处于变形发展较快的状态, 前缘多处崩塌, 坡面张拉裂缝密布。为了准确地判断滑坡的稳定性现状, 预测预报滑坡的下滑时间指导避险, 对滑坡开展了专业监测, 专业监测工作持续到了滑坡失稳下滑。本文对滑坡从监测到下滑的变形演化阶段进行了划分, 对各变形阶段滑坡的监测成果及变形破坏特征进行了分析研究。随后在此基础上分析滑坡形成演变过程及失稳机制, 通过分析认为白什乡滑坡形成演变模式为弯曲-拉裂(倾倒)变形模式, 滑坡形成后失稳机制为推移式和牵引式复合型。根据监测成果及宏观变形迹象对滑坡进行了分区, 判断出滑坡失稳下滑的关键控制部位是滑坡前缘Ⅰ-3区, 因此Ⅰ-3区监测数据是准确预测预报滑坡下滑时间的关键数据。     

Slope stability evaluation using Back Propagation Neural Networks

The Yudonghe landslide, located in western Hubei Province of China, consists of eastern and western subunits as well as a main landslide mass with upper and lower slip surfaces. As an important landslide close to Shuibuya Dam on the Qing River, its stability is crucial, as the slide might reactivate because of a change in ground-water level caused by filling of the Shuibuya Reservoir. Existing weakness zones, growth of ruptures, the downslope attitude of geologic strata, and water infiltration, which reduced the strength of rocks and soils, have been found to be the most important factors contributing to the Yudonghe landslide. With regard to the landslide processes, it can be noted that the original large-scale slide activity was due to erosion by the Qing River, the second sliding resulted from the fall of blocks from the head scarp, and the final activity was the growth of the eastern and western secondary slides. A base failure was the main type of slope movement, however, it was obvious that more than one sliding event occurred, as inferred from striations and fractures detected by microstructure analysis of soils along the failure surfaces. Slope instability was evaluated by the method of Back Propagation Neural Networks (BPNN), in which a four-layer BPNN model with five input nodes, two hidden layers, and two output nodes was constructed using a training data set of landslide samples throughout the Qing River area. The predicted results of this analysis showed that the factor of safety was 1.10, which indicates that the Yudonghe landslide is currently in a marginally stable condition.     

Regional landslide susceptibility following the Mid NIIGATA prefecture earthquake in 2004 with NEWMARK’S sliding block analysis

This study proposes a calculation method for regional earthquake-induced landslide susceptibility that applies the permanent seismic displacement calculated using Newmark’s sliding block analysis with estimated vertical and horizontal seismic motions. The proposed method takes into account the direction of slope failure based on the specified slope azimuth. The study results reveal the importance of predominant slope failure direction using a simple infinite slope model subjected to earthquakes. The target area for the earthquake-induced landslide susceptibility analysis constituted a region of more than 2000 km² surrounding the epicenter of the Mid Niigata prefecture earthquake in 2004. An earthquake-induced landslide susceptibility map was created based on the proposed method with a specific combination of friction angle and cohesion, and the resulting data were compared to the landslide inventory map produced from aerial photographs following the Mid Niigata prefecture earthquake in 2004. To create the susceptibility map, geomaterial cohesion values for the slope were back-calculated to satisfy the minimum safety factor in the static state. This study also proposes a calculation method for the prediction rate and determines the back-calculated strength parameters of geomaterials. The proposed regional landslide susceptibility map will be useful for understanding potential slope failure locations and magnitude of damage, as well as for planning field investigation and preventing secondary disasters immediately after earthquakes.     

The January 10, 1997 Pozzano landslide, Sorrento Peninsula, Italy

From 1997 to 1999, a huge number of slides, often turning into extremely rapid debris-earth flows, repeatedly affected the late Quaternary volcaniclastic deposits mantling the carbonate slopes of Campania region, Italy. The Sorrento Peninsula was the epicentral district of the 1997 regional slope-instability crisis. Some hundred shallow mass movements took place during January 1997 in this area. These were the last episode of a long series of slope failure events dating back to mid-18th century. Results from geological and geomorphologic surveys are presented. Landslide mechanism and triggering factors are analysed for the most important mass movement, which occurred during the January 9-11, 1997, regional event. On January 10, 1997, at about 8:15 PM, a rainfall-induced debris slide-debris flow occurred at Pozzano (province of Naples), mainly affecting the 79 AD pyroclastic products. Following a J-path, the landslide destroyed a private house and invaded the State Road no. 145. This event resulted in four deaths, 22 persons injured and road closure for about 2 months. There was less than 200 mm of rainfall in the 72-h period prior to the landslide, although intense precipitation had occurred during a preceding 4-month period. However, the slope failure event was not preceded by an extreme short-term antecedent rainfall, as already noticed in previous landslides of this type in Campania. Finally, following a preliminary geotechnical characterization of volcaniclastic soils, a slope-stability back analysis was carried out, which adopted the classical infinite slope scheme. This analysis gave further evidence of the role played by pore pressure in reducing the overall shear strength of pyroclastic soils.     

土质滑坡运动全过程物质点法模拟及其应用

物质点法（MPM）属于一种无网格数值计算方法,它可导入各种土体本构模型,考虑土体流固耦合行为,能够有效模拟土质滑坡大变形及超大变形。本文介绍了物质点法基本原理、控制方程与求解格式;基于5种物质点法的多孔介质表征模型,简要回顾了土质滑坡运动全过程物质点法模拟的最新研究进展。采用单套单相物质点模型,对深圳“12·20”人工堆填土滑坡全过程进行了物质点法模拟,使用了线性加载方式确定初始应力场,并使用了Drucker-Prager屈服准则弹塑性本构模型、GIMP算法与MUSL求解格式。模拟结果表明,该边坡发生失稳后,最大滑距达510m,滑坡范围纵向间距为1050m,最小滑坡角5.95°,均与观测结果相吻合。土体内部等效塑性应变区的演化趋势显示,滑坡机制为渐进式破坏,具体表现为:坡趾土体首先沿基岩界面发生剪切破坏,随后坡顶出现拉张裂隙,坡趾与坡顶塑性区分别沿基岩界面向坡体内部发育,形成贯通滑动面后滑动加速,超大变形出现。物质点法模拟滑坡运动全过程有助于理解滑坡致灾行为,可为滑坡防治提供参考。     

强度折减法在高含水滑坡稳定性分析中的应用

文章依据滑坡体岩体破碎、地下水丰富、坡体含水量高、滑坡面积大、厚度小、稳定性差等特点,选取青海省麦秀山1^#滑坡为例。结合麦秀山地区的工程地质特点,利用FLAC-3D有限差分程序,基于强度折减法对该滑坡进行了稳定性分析。通过对滑体岩土体强度指标的折减,模拟地下水对岩土体的影响,当边坡的塑性区由坡脚贯通至坡顶、坡体上特征点的位移值产生突变,且无限制的增长时,认为边坡达到临界破坏状态,此时的强度折减系数即为滑坡的稳定系数,同时可得到滑坡失稳破坏的潜在滑动带,以揭示滑坡的失稳破坏机理。分析计算表明：强度折减法不仅能够模拟出滑坡渐进破坏的过程,而且所求得的稳定系数更符合滑坡的实际状态,在滑坡稳定性分析中具有明显的优势。     

降雨及库水位联合作用下秭归八字门滑坡稳定性预测

针对三峡库区库水位调控方案和极端降雨情况,对秭归县八字门滑坡稳定性分析设置了10种计算工况,采用SEEP/W软件模拟该滑坡在降雨入渗及库水位联合作用下的暂态渗流场,并利用SLOPE/W软件,将暂态孔隙水压力分布用于该滑坡的极限平衡分析中,确定不同工况下（不同降雨强度）的滑坡稳定性系数,据此采用降雨量对该滑坡进行失稳预测。研究认为：150 mm/d以上的降雨量对该滑坡影响较大,降雨入渗具有滞后性;在相同的降雨量情况下,1 d的降雨强度比5 d的连续降雨对滑坡体的稳定性影响更明显;在水位从175 m降至145 m的过程中,临界雨量为100 mm/d时,滑坡就可能失稳;水位从145 m升至175 m的过程中和175 mm稳定水位时,当临界雨量为200 mm/d时,滑坡才可能失稳,即水位骤降过程中滑坡失稳概率大。不同工况下的滑坡土体含水率分析结果表明,降雨影响的主要是上部土体,下部土体含水率受控于地下水位,即降雨更容易引起浅层滑坡与局部滑坡