A reinterpretation of the Downie Slide (British Columbia, Canada) based on slope damage characterization and subsurface data interpretation

Abstract

The displacement of a large slow-moving landslide is accompanied by slope damage, such as fractures, tension cracks, and slope bulging. Studies of these features provide insight into the mechanisms responsible for the deformation. In this paper, we investigate slope damage at the Downie Slide, a very large landslide in British Columbia, Canada, that is slowly moving along two shear zones subparallel to the ground surface. Structural geology, and particularly the morphology of the lower shear zone, strongly controls the deformation and, in turn, the observed internal and surficial slope damage features. We use aerial and underground adit laser scanning and photogrammetry to characterize the geometry of the landslide. We subdivide the slide area into slope damage domains based on the distribution, size, and orientation of the slope damage features. We reconstruct the shape of the two failure surfaces by interpolating borehole inclinometer monitoring data and processing the 3D surfaces in a GIS environment to create aspect and slope maps. We observe a strong correlation between surficial slope damage features and changes in the dip and dip direction of the lower sliding surface. We further infer the presence of a multi-planar failure surface geometry and previously unrecognized structurally controlled damage zones.