Slope Stability and Slope Formation in the Flysch Zone of the Vienna Forest (Austria)

Birgit Terhorst,Bodo Damm

doi:10.1155/2009/589037

Birgit Terhorst, Bodo Damm

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1155/2009/589037

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Abstract

The Rhenodanubian Flysch of the northern Vienna Forest is composed of various layers of sandstones, marly shales, calcareous marls, and clay shists, which are covered by Quaternary periglacial cover beds and loess deposits. This area at the margin of the eastern Alps represents an undulating landscape of the Austrian low-mountain regions. The Vienna Forest Flysch region is considered to be susceptible to landslides. Both petrography of the bedrock and soil mechanical properties of the Quaternary sediments control the current slope dynamics in the study area. In a temporal context it is evident that the stability of slopes exceeding27∘is controlled by a succession of several steps of slope formation. On the basis of field surveys, laboratory analyses, and slope stability modelling, results from investigations on recent landslides demonstrate five different phases of slope formation. In general, after passing these phases the stability of studied slopes is increased, due to the different soil mechanical properties of the potential sliding masses.

Highlights

Human living and managing takes places in a space, which is influenced mainly by Quaternary sediments and forms
A completely developed, undisturbed profile is characterised by a sequence of different geological layers in the study area (Figure 3)
The base of the sequence is mainly formed by Flysch sandstones, superimposed by periglacial cover beds, which consist of debris of clays and marls

Summary

Introduction

Human living and managing takes places in a space, which is influenced mainly by Quaternary sediments and forms. They affect present day geomorphological and hazardous processes. Concerning landuse and planning management, it is essential to know the past processes that led to recent conditions. The reconstruction of former landscapes and ecosystems is a prerequisite to evaluate and to measure anthropogenic modifications in space and time. Numerous studies predominantly incorporate short and more recent geological periods comprising a few decades. They hardly reach back prior to the beginning of the modern age due to methodological reasons

Results

Discussion

Conclusion