Formation and characteristics of the Xiaoba landslide in Fuquan, Guizhou, China

Abstract

On August 27, 2014, a large-scale landslide occurred in Fuquan, Guizhou, China. This high-speed landslide caused considerable destruction; 23 people were killed, 22 were injured, and 77 houses were damaged. Field investigations, deformation monitoring, and numerical analyses have been performed to examine the characteristics and formation processes of this landslide. In the Xiaoba area, the slope showed a two-layered structure with a hard upper layer and a soft lower layer. Dolomite of the Dengying Formation in the slope front formed a locked segment controlling slope stability. Based on deformation and failure characteristics, the landslide is divided into sliding source area A and accumulation area B. The landslide is also divided into the following stages: bedding slip, tension cracking at the slope scarp, and the appearance of the locked section at the slope toe. Numerical calculations show that excavation led to maximum shear strain concentration along the interface of siltstone and slate in the middle of the slope, which became a potential sliding surface. Stress concentration and distribution of the plastic zone of the locked segment of the Dengying Formation dolomite occurred in the slope toe. Continuous rainfall caused the groundwater level to rise in the Xiaoba slope. The unfavorable geological structure was a determinant factor, and the combined effects of excavation and continuous rainfall were triggering factors that induced the landslide. The geomechanical mode for the Xiaoba landslide is sliding tension–shear failure.