Integrated geophysical and morphostratigraphic approach to investigate a coseismic (?) translational slide responsible for the destruction of the Montclús village (Spanish Pyrenees)

Abstract

A 12 million of m3 translational rockslide developed on a dip slope underlain by limestone with interlayered marls, and responsible for the destruction of the Montclus village in the fourteenth century, has been investigated by means of geomorphological and geophysical surveys. The combination of historical-geoarcheological, geomorphological, seismic refraction and electrical resistivity imaging datasets allowed the (1) reconstruction of the late Quaternary episodic evolution of the landslide, (2) characterization of the geometry and internal structure of the slid mass and (3) identification of preferential groundwater flow paths that favoured slope instability. The development of the landslide involved at least two different displacement episodes controlled by sliding surfaces at successively deeper stratigraphic positions. The first landsliding event, recorded by highly weathered landslide deposits situated above a perched failure plane, occurred approximately during the global Last Glacial Maximum (23–19 ka BP). The most recent event, which destroyed the Montclus village built on already slid rocks, is placed in the fourteenth century. Most probably, this reactivation event was triggered by the 1373 Ribagorza earthquake, with an estimated moment magnitude of M w 6.2. This work illustrates the benefits of combining geomorphological data with complementary geophysical technics in landslide investigation.