Current research on slow-moving landslides in the Thompson River valley, British Columbia (IMOU 5170 annual report)

Abstract

Interdepartmental Memorandum of Understanding (IMOU) 5170 between Natural Resources Canada (NRCAN), the Geological Survey of Canada (GSC) and Transport Canada Innovation Centre (TC-IC) aims to gain new insight into slow-moving landslides, and the influence of climate change, through testing conventional and emerging monitoring technologies. IMOU 5107 focuses on strategically important sections of the national railway network in the Thompson River valley, British Columbia (BC), and the Assiniboine River valley along the borders of Manitoba (MN) and Saskatchewan (SK). Results of this research are applicable elsewhere in Canada (e.g., the urban-rural-industrial landscapes of the Okanagan Valley, BC), and around the world where slow-moving landslides and climate change are adversely affecting critical socio-economic infrastructure. Open File 8931 outlines landslide mapping and changedetection monitoring protocols based on the successes of IMOU 5170 and ICL-IPL Project 202 in BC. In this region, ice sheets, glaciers, permafrost, rivers and oceans, high relief, and biogeoclimatic characteristics contribute to produce distinctive rapid and slow-moving landslide assemblages that have the potential to impact railway infrastructure and operations. Bedrock and drift-covered slopes along the transportation corridors are prone to mass wasting when favourable conditions exist. In high-relief mountainous areas, rapidly moving landslides include rock and debris avalanches, rock and debris falls, debris flows and torrents, and lahars. In areas with moderate to low relief, rapid to slow mass movements include rockslides and slumps, debris or earth slides and slumps, and earth flows. Slow-moving landslides include rock glaciers, rock and soil creep, solifluction, and lateral spreads in bedrock and surficial deposits. Research efforts lead to a better understanding of how geological conditions, extreme weather events and climate change influence landslide activity along the national railway corridor. Combining field-based landslide investigation with multi-year geospatial and in-situ time-series monitoring leads to a more resilient railway national transportation network able to meet Canada's future socioeconomic needs, while ensuring protection of the environment and resource-based communities from landslides related to extreme weather events and climate change. InSAR only measures displacement in the east-west orientation, whereas UAV and RTK-GNSS change-detection surveys capture full displacement vectors. RTK-GNSS do not provide spatial coverage, whereas InSAR and UAV surveys do. In addition, InSAR and UAV photogrammetry cannot map underwater, whereas boat-mounted bathymetric surveys reveal information on channel morphology and riverbed composition. Remote sensing datasets, consolidated in a geographic information system, capture the spatial relationships between landslide distribution and specific terrain features, at-risk infrastructure, and the environmental conditions expected to correlate with landslide incidence and magnitude. Reliable real-time monitoring solutions for critical railway infrastructure (e.g., ballast, tracks, retaining walls, tunnels, and bridges) able to withstand the harsh environmental conditions of Canada are highlighted. The provision of fundamental geoscience and baseline geospatial monitoring allows stakeholders to develop robust risk tolerance, remediation, and mitigation strategies to maintain the resilience and accessibility of critical transportation infrastructure, while also protecting the natural environment, community stakeholders, and Canadian economy. We propose a best-practice solution involving three levels of investigation to describe the form and function of the wide range of rapid and slow-moving landslides occurring across Canada that is also applicable elsewhere. Research activities for 2022 to 2025 are presented by way of conclusion.