Landslides and Rainfall Characteristics Analysis in Taipei City during the Typhoon Nari Event

The severe Typhoon Nari ended on September 15, 2001 with a high-intensity and high-accumulation storm that dumped up to 1249 mm of rain in Taipei City, Taiwan. The high-intensity and high-accumulation event caused flooding and triggered more than 400 soils slips and debris flows and large, complex landslides. Detailed information on 63 events, including rainfall, initiation time, and magnitude of landslides were documented and analyzed to identify the landslides and rainfall characteristic in Taipei City during Typhoon Nari. The result reveals that slump, slide, and debris flow events are associated with the situation of high-intensity or high-accumulation rainfall. The rainfall intensity-duration condition resulted in smaller magnitude and shallow failures. Medium to massive landslide were mainly related to the high-accumulation rainfall. A landslide regionalization process based on rainfall, geomorphologic and geologic characteristics is proposed. Results of the proposed process show good agreement with landslide events observed in the Taipei City during Typhoon Nari.     

An experimental determination of the relationship between the minimum height of landslide dams and the run-out distance of landslides

Landslides - Landslides frequently occur on mountain slopes due to earthquakes and rainfall. When a landslide occurs near a river, the landslide mass moves at a certain speed towards the river...     

Analysis of time-varying rainfall infiltration induced landslide

A case study of rainstorm-induced landslide is modeled following the hourly rainfall time series from the stage of infiltration caused by induced slope movement and soil saturated to excess pore pressures—Transient Rainfall Infiltration and Grid-based Regional Slope-Stability Analysis (TRIGRS). The grid-based landslide stability analysis was conducted to model the increased pore pressures and runoff in the study area under the specified rainfall conditions. The generated time variances of pore pressures help determine landslide characteristics and mechanisms under rainfall conditions. Inputs of soil properties and permeability parameters for landslide stability analysis in the study area were prepared by TRIGRS adopted for transient infiltration analysis. Results of the analyses show that under heavy rainfall conditions, the infiltrated slope is unstable and the time of debris masses movement initiated is correlated to the recorded time. In the initiated landslide, characteristics and effects are considered and reflected in the numerical modeling under combinations of topography, land use, climatic and geological conditions. Results reveal that there is a plane failure surface and a potential circular failure surface at the study site besides the rock topple failures in the crest. A grid-based slope-stability analysis incorporated with the GIS spatial functions is more advantageous than the traditional two-dimensional analysis for specified slope profiles to determine the whole behavior of a slope.     

Rainfall duration and debris-flow initiated studies for real-time monitoring

A rainfall-induced debris flow warning is implemented employing real-time rain gauge data. The pre-warning for the time of landslide triggering derives the threshold or critical rainfall from historical events involving regional rainfall patterns and geological conditions. In cases of debris flow, the time taken cumulative runoff, to yield abundant water for debris triggering, is an important index that needs monitoring. In gathered historical cases, rainfall time history data from the nearest rain gauge stations to debris-flow sites connected to debris flow are used to define relationships between the rainfall intensity and duration. The effects by which the regional rainfall patterns (antecedent rainfall, duration, intensity, cumulative rainfall) and geological settings combine together to trigger a debris-flow are analyzed for real-time monitoring. The analyses focused on 61 historical hazard events with the timing of debris flow initiation and rainfall duration to burst debris-flow characteristics recorded. A combination of averaged rainfall intensity and duration is a more practical index for debris-flow monitoring than critical or threshold rainfall intensity. Because, the outburst timing of debris flows correlates closely to the peak hourly rainfall and the forecasting of peak hourly rainfall reached in a meteorological event could be a valuable index for real-time debris-flow warning.     

A GIS Process for Delimitating Areas Potentially Endangered by Debris Flow

A GIS rules-based approach is proposed for delimiting areas potentially endangered by debris flow for downstream guarded areas. Data were used to define rules for nine pilot areas in the Chen-You-Lan river watershed in Nantou County of Taiwan. A preliminary regressed relationship between debris volume and runout distance in the pilot areas is first formulated. The GIS processes for applying the rules are linked to delimit hazardous areas affected by debris within the first approximated debris fan. Rules applied to delimit potentially endangered areas incorporate geomorphological factors (gradient or curvature, aspect), direction of flow, fan angle of the debris and location of the overflow points. The delimited zone is then calibrated using the regression formula for debris volume against the affected area. The verification of the delineation of the areas using the adopted approach, with reference to micro-geomorphological results concerning pilot cases validates the proposed model. The model can be used to delineate potentially hazardous zones approximately associated with debris flow in rivers in Taiwan.     

A landslide dam breach induced debris flow – a case study on downstream hazard areas delineation

A catastrophic landslide dam breach induced debris flow initiated in Da-Cu-Keng stream, Ruifang town, when typhoon Xangsane hit Taiwan on November 1, 2000. Different available methodologies were used to model the natural dam breach induced debris flow and using field topography the hazard zones affected by debris mixtures were delineated. The numerical finite element or finite difference method is time consuming for the simulation of debris flow inundation areas and hence a rules-based GIS (Geographic Information System) analysis is proposed in this study. The model emphasizes the downstream inundated fan-shaped areas covered by debris mixtures through the overflow point. Topography and gradient are assumed to dominate the debris masses deposition mechanism in the GIS analysis. The approach considers the parameters effects, such as the runout distance, the debris masses magnitude and the inundated areas. The results of this study reveal that the GIS process using the rule-based approach speeds up the processing of delineating the hazard zones and assessment, which can be applied to early-warning and preliminary inundation hazardous mapping.