Abstract
In this paper, we propose an advanced methodology to perform three-dimensional (3D) Finite Element (FE) modeling to investigate the kinematical evolution of a slow landslide phenomenon. Our approach benefits from the effective integration of the available geological, geotechnical and satellite datasets to perform an accurate simulation of the landslide process. More specifically, we fully exploit the capability of the advanced Differential Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (DInSAR) technique referred to as the Small BAseline Subset (SBAS) approach to provide spatially dense surface displacement information. Subsequently, we analyze the physical behavior characterizing the observed landslide phenomenon by means of an inverse analysis based on an optimization procedure. We focus on the Ivancich landslide phenomenon, which affects a residential area outside the historical center of the town of Assisi (Central Italy). Thanks to the large amount of available information, we have selected this area as a representative case study highlighting the capability of advanced 3D FE modeling to perform effective risk analyses of slow landslide processes and accurate urban development planning. In particular, the FE modeling is constrained by using the data from 7 litho-stratigraphic cross-sections and 62 stratigraphic boreholes; and the optimization procedure is carried out using the SBAS-DInSAR retrieved results by processing 39 SAR images collected by the Cosmo-SkyMed (CSK) constellation in the 2009–2012 time span. The achieved results allow us to explore the spatial and temporal evolution of the slow-moving phenomenon and via comparison with the geomorphological data, to derive a synoptic view of the kinematical activity of the urban area affected by the Ivancich landslide.
Highlights
The assessment of the kinematical evolution of the slow landslides is challenging for the analysis and zonation of the risk in urban areas
The residuals map (Figure 5c) shows the good fit between data and model results, revealed by the Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) value that is equal to 0.15 cm/yr, smaller than the accuracy of the Small BAseline Subset (SBAS)-Differential Synthetic Aperture Radar Interferometry (DInSAR)
As a matter of fact, if in-situ measurements or DInSAR-based analyses are capable of exploring the displacement trends of specific sectors of a landslide process, the three-dimensional model can provide a thorough physically-based conceptualization of the landslide kinematics, provided that the same model is calibrated and optimized against the aforementioned measurements
Summary
The assessment of the kinematical evolution of the slow landslides is challenging for the analysis and zonation of the risk in urban areas. The capability to detect the spatial kinematical variability of a slow landslide processes can represent a fundamental source of knowledge to support the land management decision for the development of infrastructures in urban areas In this perspective, the evaluation of the landslide displacement field at ground level in a certain time span, can impart. The simulations of the landslide kinematics are achieved through the implementation in a numerical domain, of the available a-priori information on the slope, as the topography, the landslide body geometry and the mechanical properties of the involved geomaterials Such enhanced information is retrieved through a significant increase of the computational load of the 3D models with respect to 2D models. This computational complexity can be correctly reduced when the examined landslide shows the typical kinematical features of a landslide creep, i.e., landslide phenomena are characterized by very low pore water pressure variation rates and the displacement rates do not significantly change with time
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