Effect of basal guided waves on landslides

A landslide model riding on basal guided waves is investigated to explain lower net frictions at high slide velocities from the wave-theoretical point of view. It is shown that there is a wave propagated along the basal layer at the phase velocity equal to the slide velocity, as well as a guided wave with considerably higher phase velocities propagated likewise along the basal layer as a leaking mode at low slide velocities. With increasing slide velocity the phase velocity of the guided wave decreases until it is equal to that of the slide mass. Over this threshold slide velocity, a sonic boom is generated around the basal layer, and the shock contributes to a loosening of the slide mass into a fluidized state. Landslides on long slide-ways are more liable to exceed this threshold velocity since their slide velocities tend to be higher than those on short slide-ways of a similar shape. Hence, the reduction of net friction of landslides can possibly be better correlated with the lengths of slide-ways than with the volumes of landslides as is widely maintained.     

震级非均匀分布的全概率积分及其空间权重矩阵的确定

将震级ｍ,距离ｒ以及地震动误差ε三个随机量视为一“体”在场址地震动峰值给定条件下,首先引入了临界震级,临界距离和临界误差的概念,根据临界值变化的性质,给出了三种相互等价的全概率积分,并对基保的一种导出了它对震级－误差积分的解析表达式,由于本文给出的全概率积分均已包含衰减的随机影响,因此不存在不确定性校正问题,但与此同时,对现行的不确定性校正方法提出了一个修正建议,地震活动空间非均匀的概率积分,一般     

Using GIS and statistics to study influences of geology on probability features of surface soil geochemistry in Northern Ireland

The probability features of non-normality and non-lognormality are widely observed in geochemistry due to the influences of multiple factors that are difficult to quantify and model. In Northern Ireland, the pseudo-total concentrations of 14 elements (Ca, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P, Pb and Zn) from 6138 topsoils were measured, and GIS mapping showed that the spatial distribution of these data were in line with the spatial distribution of geology in the area. Investigations into the influences of geology on the concentration data and their probability features were carried out using GIS and statistics in this study. The whole raw data sets for each element were positively skewed and none of them followed either normal or lognormal distributions. Logarithmic transformation was found to have “over-transformed” most of the data sets, changing their skewness from positive to negative values. When soil samples were classified by rock type using a GIS overlay function, obvious differences were observed in the chemical concentrations of soils derived from different rock types. Soils in basalt areas displayed the highest concentrations for most elements under study (Ca, Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mg, Mn, Na, Ni, P and Zn) but the lowest concentrations for K, while the highest levels for Cd and Pb occurred in the shale areas. Classifying soils by rock type produced more normally distributed data sets, especially for the igneous rock areas. To restrain the influence of soil type and land cover, samples from both gleys and pastures were extracted via a GIS and it was found the data sets then showed generally greater tendencies towards normality. However, many of the data sets would still not pass a test for normality unless the sample size was small (e.g. of the order of a couple of hundreds). Geology, soil type, land cover and sample size all played important roles in determining soil chemical concentrations and their probability features. However, the influences from other factors were still evident. Attempts made in this study show that it remains a challenging task in geochemistry to separate all the factors and to model their influence at the regional scale.     

Fuzzy-based method for landslide hazard assessment in active seismic zone of Himalaya

Landslides in Himalaya cause widespread damage in terms of property and human lives. It the present study, an attempt is made to derive information on causative parameters and preparation of landslide-susceptible map using fuzzy data integration in one of the seismically active region of Garhwal Himalaya that was recently devastated by a huge landslide. High-resolution remotely sensed data products acquired from Indian Remote Sensing Satellite before and after the landslide event were processed to improve interpretability and derivation of causative parameters. Spatial data sets such as lithology, rock weathering, geomorphology, lineaments, drainage, land use, anthropogenic factor, soil type and depth, slope gradient, and slope aspect were integrated using fuzzy gamma operator. The final map was reclassified in to five classes such as highly to lowly susceptible classes based on cumulative cutoff. The result shows around 72% of known landslide areas including the large Uttarkashi landslide in the high and very high susceptibility classes comprising of only 37% of the total area. The precipitation data from ground- and satellite-based observations were compared; the precipitation threshold and the role of seismic activity were analyzed for initiation of landslide.     

Interpretation of landslide distribution triggered by the 2005 Northern Pakistan earthquake using SPOT 5 imagery

The 2005 northern Pakistan earthquake (magnitude 7.6) of 8 October 2005 occurred in the northwestern part of the Himalayas. We interpreted landslides triggered by the earthquake using black-and-white 2.5-m-resolution System Pour l’Observation de la Terre 5 (SPOT 5) stereo images. As a result, the counts of 2,424 landslides were identified in the study area of 55 by 51 km. About 79% or 1,925 of the landslides were small (less than 0.5 ha in area), whereas 207 of the landslides (about 9%) were large (1 ha and more in area). Judging from our field survey, most of the small landslides are shallow rock falls and slides. However, the resolution and whitish image in the photos prevented interpreting the movement type and geomorphologic features of the landslide sites in detail. It is known that this earthquake took place along preexisting active reverse faults. The landslide distribution was mapped and superimposed on the crustal deformation detected by the environmental satellite/synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data, active faults map, geological map, and shuttle radar topography mission data. The landslide distribution showed the following characteristics: (1) Most of the landslides occurred on the hanging-wall side of the Balakot–Garhi fault; (2) greater than one third of the landslides occurred within 1 km from the active fault; (3) the greatest number of landslides (1,147 counts), landslide density (3.2 counts/km²), and landslide area ratio (2.3 ha/km²) was found within Miocene sandstone and siltstone, Precambrian schist and quartzite, and Eocene and Paleocene limestone and shale, respectively; (4) there was a slight trend that large landslides occurred on vertically convex slopes rather than on concave slopes; furthermore, large landslides occurred on steeper (30° and more) slopes than on gentler slopes; (5) many large landslides occurred on slopes facing S and SW directions, which is consistent with SAR-detected horizontal dominant direction of crustal deformation on the hanging wall.     

Landslide hazard mapping using logistic regression model in Mackenzie Valley,Canada

A logistic regression model is developed within the framework of a Geographic Information System (GIS) to map landslide hazards in a mountainous environment. A case study is conducted in the mountainous southern Mackenzie Valley, Northwest Territories, Canada. To determine the factors influencing landslides, data layers of geology, surface materials, land cover, and topography were analyzed by logistic regression analysis, and the results are used for landslide hazard mapping. In this study, bedrock, surface materials, slope, and difference between surface aspect and dip direction of the sedimentary rock were found to be the most important factors affecting landslide occurrence. The influence on landslides by interactions among geologic and geomorphic conditions is also analyzed, and used to develop a logistic regression model for landslide hazard mapping. The comparison of the results from the model including the interaction terms and the model not including the interaction terms indicate that interactions among the variables were found to be significant for predicting future landslide probability and locating high hazard areas. The results from this study demonstrate that the use of a logistic regression model within a GIS framework is useful and suitable for landslide hazard mapping in large mountainous geographic areas such as the southern Mackenzie Valley.     

A landslide database for Nicaragua: a tool for landslide-hazard management

A digital landslide database has been created for Nicaragua to provide the scientific community and national authorities with a tool for landslide-hazard assessment, emergency management, land-use planning, development of early warning systems, and the implementation of public and private policies. The Instituto Nicaragüense de Estudios Territoriales (Nicaraguan Geosciences Institute, INETER) began to compile the database in a digital format in 2003 as part of a comprehensive geographical information system for all types of geohazards. Landslide data have been obtained from a variety of sources including newspapers, technical reports, and landslide inventory maps. Inventory maps are largely based on fieldwork and aerial-photo analyses conducted by foreign development agencies in collaboration with INETER and other Nicaraguan institutions. This paper presents the sources of landslide information, introduces the database, and presents the first analyses of the data at national and regional scales. The database currently contains spatial information for about 17,000 landslides that occurred in mountainous and volcanic terrains. Information is mainly recorded for the period 1826–2003, with a large number of events that occurred during the disastrous Hurricane Mitch in October 1998. The oldest historical event is dated at 1570, some events are recorded as prehistorical, and other events have unknown dates of occurrence. Debris flows have been the most common types of landslides, both in volcanic and nonvolcanic areas, but other types, including rockfalls and slides, have also been identified. Intense and prolonged rainfall, often associated with tropical cyclones, and seismic and volcanic activity represent the most important landslide triggers. At a regional scale, the influence of topographic (elevation, slope angle, slope aspect) and lithologic parameters on the occurrence of landslides was analyzed. The development of the database allowed us to define the state of knowledge on landslide processes in the Nicaragua and to provide a preliminary identification of areas affected by landslides.     

Bedload-to-suspended load ratio and rapid bedrock incision from Himalayan landslide-dam lake record

About 5400 cal yr BP, a large landslide formed a > 400-m-tall dam in the upper Marsyandi River, central Nepal. The resulting lacustrine and deltaic deposits stretched > 7 km upstream, reaching a thickness of 120 m. ¹⁴C dating of 7 wood fragments reveals that the aggradation and subsequent incision occurred remarkably quickly (∼ 500 yr). Reconstructed volumes of lacustrine (∼ 0.16 km³) and deltaic (∼ 0.09 km³) deposits indicate a bedload-to-suspended load ratio of 1:2, considerably higher than the ≤ 1:10 that is commonly assumed. At the downstream end of the landslide dam, the river incised a new channel through ≥ 70 m of Greater Himalayan gneiss, requiring a minimum bedrock incision rate of 13 mm/yr over last 5400 yr. The majority of incision presumably occurred over a fraction of this time, suggesting much higher rates. The high bedload ratio from such an energetic mountain river is a particularly significant addition to our knowledge of sediment flux in orogenic environments.     

Pilot project for intensive surveillance of hail events in Terres de Ponent (Lleida)

Hail is one of the most fearsome meteorological phenomena for agricultural areas. The harvest of the whole year can be destroyed in only a few minutes. A pilot project to characterise hail events and identify hail with the help of radar observations is described in this paper. This pilot project was carried out in Terres de Ponent, an area of about 200,000 ha in Lleida (Catalonia), in the NE of the Iberian Peninsula.The aim of the project was to characterise hail events, directly by radiosounding data and radar images, and indirectly by the evaluation of the radiosonde forecasted by the Numerical Weather Prediction (NWP) Mesoscale Atmospheric Simulation System (MASS) and several instability indices. In the first stage of the project several instability indices were calculated during the 5 months of the campaign and a comparison of these indices with those obtained with radiosounding data from Barcelona and Zaragoza was performed. An operative image of the probability of hail distribution in Catalonia (every 6 min, hourly and daily) was also made using the Waldvogel method for its detection. As a starting point, an empirical fit of POH (probability of hail) obtained recently in the Netherlands (POH = 0.319 + 0.133·ΔH, where ΔH is the difference between the 45 dBZ echo top height from radar image and the isozero forecast). Complementary to this, to detect the hail at the beginning of spring, the process was repeated with the 35 dBZ echo top.In a second stage of the project, the calculated POH was compared with the hail events measured by 171 hailpads of the observational network of the Agrupació de Defensa Vegetal (ADV) of Terres de Ponent and a new fit of the POH formula was obtained. It was also the aim of this second stage to validate the forecasted radiosoundings by the NWP MASS model in Lleida and Barcelona. Finally, a comparison between the radiosounding data from Barcelona, Lleida and Zaragoza was made to verify which radiosounding (Barcelona or Zaragoza) is more representative of the Lleida area.     

四川渠县南阳碥滑坡变形破坏成因机制及治理措施

文章利用达州市渠县李馥乡南阳碥滑坡治理工程勘察、设计资料,结合现场实际情况,补充了勘察资料对滑坡认识上的一些不足。针对2号滑坡中前部和中后部不同的变形破坏特征,对其成因机制进行了详细分析和认识,指出南阳碥滑坡不稳定2号滑坡体中后部房屋开裂变形的主要原因是坡体地下水位埋深过浅(1~3m),整个坡体基本处于饱水状态,由此导致地基承载力不足,房屋出现不均匀沉降。而滑坡体中前部房屋开裂和坡体的变形破坏则主要是由于汛期渠江水位的大幅度升降导致库岸边坡失稳以及降雨诱发坡体局部滑动。文章对滑坡体进行了稳定性评价及滑坡推力计算,按照4种工况对各个不同的剖面提出了相应的抗滑支档 截排水工程的治理措施。