Small fast-moving flow-like landslides in volcanic deposits: The 2001 Las Colinas Landslide (El Salvador)

Fast-moving landslides are one of the most significant dangers deriving from slope instabilities. Landslides involving large volumes can develop in rock or debris avalanches with extreme mobility and enormous destructiveness. Nevertheless, a relevant number of casualties and damages derive from small, fast-moving landslides with flow-like behaviour.

The Las Colinas landslide occurred at Santa Tecla (El Salvador, Central America) during a strong earthquake. It slid off the northern flank of the Bálsamo ridge, and resulted in almost 500 casualties and can be considered one of the most destructive landslides ever known. Earthquake shaking was amplified by the rock mass and the steep ridge topography.

We collected original geological, geomorphological and geophysical data in the Cordillera del Bálsamo area. The involved materials, ranging from lapilli to tuff layers of different strength, have been mapped and characterized.

Slope stability analyses have been performed both under static and dynamic conditions through limit equilibrium and finite element methods.

Hazard zonation for this type of landslides requires the forecast of the movement velocity and final deposition area. We used a fully two-dimensional FEM model to simulate landslide spreading downslope. The developed code allows the use of different constitutive models and yield rules with the possibility to model and study internal deformation of the landslide mass, as well material entrainment and deposition.