Retrogressive slope failures at Beaver Creek, south of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada

Abstract

Active landslides are occurring along the banks of the South Saskatchewan River at Saskatoon. A field investigation and stability analysis indicated that a multiple retrogressive mechanism is valid in explaining the failures at Beaver Creek, 28 km south of Saskatoon. Computations indicated that lateral pressures ranging from the active to something greater than the at-rest condition tend to support the successive blocks but are not high enough to stabilize the slides. It was assumed that the rate of movement of the blocks varies and probably increases downslope. Valuable information was obtained about the soil properties in the area and the mechanism of failure that seems to apply over a long section along the river bank south of Saskatoon.