Landslide Behavior Research Articles

Geomechanical assessment of the Corvara earthflow through numerical modelling and inverse analysis

This research proposes a conceptual approach for analysis and numerical modelling of the hydromechanical behaviour of large landslides, applied to one of the source areas of the Corvara earthflow (Dolomites, Italy). The approach consists of two steps: forward calculation and inverse analysis. For the forward calculations, the geological model of the slope considering several shear zones delimitating landslide units was developed, based on a detailed dataset of field investigation and monitoring data. A viscoplastic constitutive model was used to describe the time-dependent material behaviour, i.e. the creep, of the shear zones. The transient distribution of pore water pressure in the slope was considered by means of an additional purely hydrogeological model. These results were used as averaged hydraulic boundary conditions in the calculation of stress and deformation fields with the continuum finite element method (FEM). The numerical model was then calibrated against ground surface displacement rates measured by D-GPS, by iteratively varying the material parameters of the shear zones. For this task, an inverse analysis concept was applied, based on statistical analyses and an evolutionary optimisation algorithm. The inverse modelling strategy was further applied to gather statistical information on model behaviour, on the sensitivity of model parameters and on the quality of the obtained calibration. Results show that the calibrated model was able to appropriately simulate the displacement field of the earthflow and allow the requirements, difficulties and problems, as well as the advantages and benefits of the proposed numerical modelling concept to be highlighted.

Progressive shear-surface development in cohesive materials; implications for landslide behaviour

The aim of this study was to investigate mechanisms of progressive shear surface development using a series of specialised triaxial cell tests. Intact and remoulded samples of Gault Clay from the Ventnor Undercliff on the Isle of Wight in southern England were subjected to pore pressure reinflation (PPR) testing in a triaxial cell, in which failure is generated by increasing pore pressure under a constant total stress state. In addition, a novel very long term (>500days) creep test was undertaken, in which the sample eventually failed at a constant stress state below the failure envelope.The experiments showed that undisturbed samples of the Gault Clay failed in a brittle manner, generating a linear trend when plotted using the Saito technique. On the other hand, remoulded samples showed ductile behaviour, as indicated by a non-linear Saito trend. A number of otherwise identical PPR tests were conducted in which the rate of increase in pore water pressure was varied. These tests showed that strain rate generated at any point in the PPR tests depended on both the effective stress and the rate of change of effective stress. The latter is important because a change in stress generates a change in strain. Thus, whilst tests at different rates of change of effective stress are similar when plotted in q–p′ space and in strain–p′ space, they are markedly different in strain rate–p′ space.The long term creep test failed when the stress state had been constant for over 80days. This mechanism was reminiscent of creep rupture, occurring below the failure envelope defined in the conventional experiments.We conclude that first time failure in the Gault Clay is a progressive mechanism dominated by the development of micro-cracking, which leads to strain localisation and the development of one or more shear surfaces at failure. Whilst this mechanism may usually occur in response to a change in stress, the study indicates that failure can develop progressively. In the remoulded Gault Clay shear strains cannot localise along a singular shear surface.The results provide new insight into the mechanisms of landslide movement operating within the Ventnor landslide complex and indicate that present movements are likely to be occurring on a pre-existing shear surface. The lab tests suggest that this material is unlikely to undergo catastrophic failure.

Quantification of reactivated landslide behaviour using acoustic emission monitoring

Slope failures world-wide cause many thousands of deaths each year and damage built environment infrastructure, costing billions of pounds to repair, resulting in thousands of people being made homeless and the breakdown of basic services such as water supply and transport. There is a clear need for affordable instrumentation that can provide an early warning of slope instability to enable the evacuation of vulnerable people and timely repair and maintenance of critical infrastructure. An approach, Assessment of Landslides using Acoustic Real-time Monitoring Systems (ALARMS) is described in the paper, and results of a field trial of sensors on an active landslide at Hollin Hill, North Yorkshire, UK, are described. Continuous and real-time monitoring of acoustic emission generated by the deforming slope has been compared to traditional inclinometer slope displacement measurements. Analysis of the results has established that there is a direct relationship between acoustic emission rate and displacement rate trends triggered by rainfall events. The technique has provided insight into reactivated slope movement kinematics.

A new geological model for Spriana landslide

Complex large landslides are characterized by different kinematic behaviors and involve diverse materials. Both elements make it difficult to study the instability of these huge mass movements, which may cause massive damage and affect extended areas. This paper is focused on the study of Spriana landslide, an important rockslide located in the North of Italy. Starting from the geological interpretation provided by Belloni and Gandolfo (Geologia tecnica ed ambientale 3:7–36, 1997), the authors gather all available data sets and perform a novel analysis aimed to better describe the unstable body. The key point of this case study regards the characterization of the deeper surface of failure. The location as well as the continuity of this surface is a crucial unsolved question, and in this paper we try to provide a reasonable answer. We propose a new hypothesis based on a structurally controlled, wedge-like rockslide involving the presence of a composed deeper surface of failure constrained by the intersection of two different weak zones. Although this work mainly addresses the development of a new geological model, numerical simulations were also performed. Both continuous and discontinuous models were tested, and then a comparison of the outcomes of the numerical simulations was performed to define the best fit to the observed landslide behavior.

Scaling properties of rainfall induced landslides predicted by a physically based model

Natural landslides exhibit scaling properties revealed by power law relationships. These relationships include the frequency of the size (e.g., area, volume) of the landslides, and the rainfall conditions responsible for slope failures in a region. Reasons for the scaling behavior of landslides are poorly known. We investigate the possibility of using the Transient Rainfall Infiltration and Grid-Based Regional Slope-Stability analysis code (TRIGRS), a consolidated, physically-based, numerical model that describes the stability/instability conditions of natural slopes forced by rainfall, to determine the frequency statistics of the area of the unstable slopes and the rainfall intensity (I)–duration (D) conditions that result in landslides in a region. We apply TRIGRS in a portion of the Upper Tiber River Basin, Central Italy. The spatially distributed model predicts the stability/instability conditions of individual grid cells, given the local terrain and rainfall conditions. We run TRIGRS using multiple, synthetic rainfall histories, and we compare the modeling results with empirical evidences of the area of landslides and of the rainfall conditions that have caused landslides in the study area. Our findings revealed that TRIGRS is capable of reproducing the frequency of the size of the patches of terrain predicted as unstable by the model, which match the frequency size statistics of landslides in the study area, and the mean rainfall D,I conditions that result in unstable slopes in the study area, which match rainfall I−D thresholds for possible landslide occurrence. Our results are a step towards understanding the mechanisms that give rise to landslide scaling properties.

Evaluation of the Effects of Climate Changes on Landslide Activity of Orvieto Clayey Slope

Forthcoming climate changes, recognized by the international scientific community, are inducing a modification of the hydrological cycles with a direct impact on the piezometric regime of natural slopes and thus on their stability conditions. Particularly regarding active landslides in fine grained soils, the experience based on several well documented cases suggests an evident connection between landslide activity and rainfalls cumulated over some months. As a consequence, the observed change of the rainfall features should provoke variations on the kinematic features of such phenomena. Its role could be not negligible in a landslide risk assessment.Thanks to the availability of a considerable database related to the well documented Orvieto case, regarding precipitations and displacements of an active slide in clay, monitored since 1982, and to a climate projection occurring in the concerned area, provided by a reliable Regional Climate Model, the present paper gives a likely prediction of the long-term scenario of the landslide behavior. According to our results, local climate effects should be responsible of a slow decrease in the displacement rate.

Infiltration effects on a two-dimensional molecular dynamics model of landslides

We propose a two-dimensional computational model for deep landslides triggered by rainfall, based on interacting particles or grains. The model describes a vertical section of a fictitious granular material along a slope, in order to study the behavior of a wide-thickness landslide. The triggering of the landslide is caused by the exceeding of two conditions: a threshold speed and a condition on the static friction of the particles, the latter based on the Mohr–Coulomb failure criterion (Coulomb in Mem Acad R Div Sav 7:343–387, 1776; Mohr in Abhandlungen aus dem Gebiete der Technischen Mechanik. Ernst, Berlin, 1914). The interparticle interactions are represented as a potential that, in the absence of suitable experimental data and due to the arbitrariness of the grain dimension, is modeled similarly to the Lennard-Jones’ one (Lennard-Jones in Proc R Soc Lond A 106(738):463–477, 1924), i.e., with an attractive and a repulsive part. For the updating of the particle positions, we use a molecular dynamics method, which is quite suitable for this type of systems (Herrmann and Luding in Continuum Mech Thermodyn 10:189–231, 1998). An infiltration scheme is introduced for modeling the increasing pore pressure due to the rainfall. Finally, we also introduce the viscosity in the dynamical equations of motion. The statistical characterization and dynamical behavior of the results of simulations are quite satisfactory relative to real landslides: We obtain a power law distribution of landslide triggering times, and the velocity patterns are typical of real cases, including the acceleration progression. Therefore, we can claim that this type of modeling can represent a new method to simulate landslides triggered by rainfall.

Downie Slide: numerical simulation of groundwater fluctuations influencing the behaviour of a massive landslide

Groundwater levels at Downie Slide have varied during the development of and over the operating life of the Revelstoke Reservoir. Drainage system construction successfully lowered groundwater levels through the central portion of the slope; reservoir filling resulted in water table rise near the inundated toe, and over the operating life of the hydro-electric facility gradual, minor losses to the drainage system capacity have resulted in a slow rise in water table levels. Calibrated models capable of reproducing observed deformation patterns at Downie Slide have been tested with changing groundwater levels. Models perform well, adequately reproducing observations of global slope response to changes in piezometric boundary conditions. These models have also been used to test potential trigger scenarios, including rapid reservoir drawdown and a total loss of drainage system capacity.

Comparison on landslide nonlinear displacement analysis and prediction with computational intelligence approaches

Landslide displacement is widely obtained to discover landslide behaviors for purpose of event forecasting. This article aims to present a comparative study on landslide nonlinear displacement analysis and prediction using computational intelligence techniques. Three state-of-art techniques, the support vector machine (SVM), the relevance vector machine (RVM), and the Gaussian process (GP), are comparatively presented briefly for modeling landslide displacement series. The three techniques are discussed comparatively for both fitting and predicting the landslide displacement series. Two landslides, the Baishuihe colluvial landslide in China Three Georges and the Super-Sauze mudslide in the French Alps, are illustrated. The results prove that the computational intelligence approaches are feasible and capable of fitting and predicting landslide nonlinear displacement. The Gaussian process, on the whole, performs better than the support vector machine, relevance vector machine, and simple artificial neural network (ANN) with optimized parameter values in predictive analysis of the landslide displacement.

Topographic signatures and a general transport law for deep‐seated landslides in a landscape evolution model

AbstractA fundamental goal of studying earth surface processes is to disentangle the complex web of interactions among baselevel, tectonics, climate, and rock properties that generate characteristic landforms. Mechanistic geomorphic transport laws can quantitatively address this goal, but no widely accepted law for landslides exists. Here we propose a transport law for deep‐seated landslides in weathered bedrock and demonstrate its utility using a two‐dimensional numerical landscape evolution model informed by study areas in the Waipaoa catchment, New Zealand, and the Eel River catchment, California. We define a non‐dimensional landslide number, which is the ratio of the horizontal landslide flux to the vertical tectonic flux, that characterizes three distinct landscape types. One is dominated by stochastic landsliding, whereby discrete landslide events episodically erode material at rates exceeding the long‐term uplift rate. Another is characterized by steady landsliding, in which the landslide flux at any location remains constant through time and is greatest at the steepest locations in the catchment. The third is not significantly affected by landsliding. In both the “stochastic landsliding” and “steady landsliding” regimes, increases in the non‐dimensional landslide number systematically reduce catchment relief and widen valley spacing, producing long, low angle hillslopes despite high uplift rates. The stochastic landsliding regime captures the frequent observation that deep‐seated landslides produce large sediment fluxes from small areal extents while being active only a fraction of the time. We suggest that this model is adaptable to a wide range of geologic settings and is useful for interpreting climate‐driven changes in landslide behavior.

The application of an innovative inverse model for understanding and predicting landslide movements (Salazie cirque landslides, Reunion Island)

The prediction of landslide movement acceleration is a complex problem, among others identified for deep-seated landslides, and represents a crucial step for risk assessment. Within the scope of this problem, the objective of this paper is to explore a modelling method that enables the study of landslide function and facilitates displacement predictions based on a limited data set. An inverse modelling approach is proposed for predicting the temporal evolution of landslide movement based on rainfall and displacement velocities. Initially, the hydrogeology of the studied landslides was conceptualised based on correlative analyses. Subsequently, we applied an inverse model with a Gaussian-exponential transfer function to reproduce the displacements. This method was tested on the Grand Ilet (GI) and Mare-a-Poule-d’Eau (HB) landslides on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean. We show that the behaviour of landslides can be modelled by inverse models with a bimodal transfer function using a Gaussian-exponential impulse response. The cumulative displacements over 7 years of modelling (2 years of calibration period for GI, and 4 years for HB) were reproduced with an RMSE above 0.9. The characteristics of the bimodal transfer function are directly related to the hydrogeological functioning demonstrated by the correlative analyses: the rapid reaction of a landslide can be associated with the effect of a preferential flow path on groundwater level variations. Thus, this study shows that the inverse model using a Gaussian-exponential transfer function is a powerful tool for predicting deep-seated landslide movements and for studying how they function. Beyond modelling displacements, our approach effectively demonstrates its ability to contribute relevant data for conceptualising the sliding mechanisms and hydrogeology of landslides.

2D viscoplastic finite element modelling of slow landslides: the Portalet case study (Spain)

This paper proposes a hydro-geomechanical finite element model to reproduce the kinematic behaviour of large slow landslides. The interaction between solid skeleton and pore fluids is modelled with a time dependent u–pw formulation and a groundwater model that takes into account recorded daily rainfall intensity. A viscoplastic constitutive model based on Perzyna’s theory is applied to reproduce soil viscous behaviour and the delayed creep deformation. The proposed model is applied to Portalet landslide (Central Spanish Pyrenees). This is an active paleo-landslide that has been reactivated by the construction of a parking area at the toe of the slope. The stability analysis reveals that, after the constructive solutions were undertaken, the slope is in a limit equilibrium situation. Nevertheless, time-dependent analysis reproduces the nearly constant strain rate (secondary creep) and the acceleration/deceleration of the moving mass due to hydrological changes. Overall, the model reproduces a 2-m displacement in the past 8 years that coincides with in situ monitoring data. The proposed model is useful for short- and mid-term predictions of secondary creep. However, long-time predictions remain uncertain, stability depends strongly on the position of the water table depth and new failures during tertiary creep due to soil temporal microstructural degradation are difficult to calibrate.

Stability and Seismic Behavior of Landslide with Deep Overburden Layer in Kala Hydropower Station, China

Landslide induced by earthquakes is one of serious seismic secondary disasters. For some large-scale landslide as discussed in the study, both rigid limit equilibrium method and dynamic finite element method are applied to comparatively analyze the stability against sliding under typical working conditions, and to reveal dynamic response characteristics. Results show that rainfall and earthquake have significant influences on the stability of landslide mass, and the safety factors under rainfall and seismic conditions do not satisfy relevant specifications. The similar results are obtained by dynamic finite element method, but the safety factors are larger than that of rigid limit equilibrium method. The landslide belongs to thrust load caused landslide, featuring upper tension damage and lower shear damage. Some measures, such as cutting slope and reducing load, shear tunnel, anchor tunnel, are recommended to reinforce the landslide mass.

Geomechanical interpretation of the Downie Slide considering field data and three-dimensional numerical modelling

Downie Slide has been interpreted as a massive, composite rockslide, and a number of landslide zones have been defined based on the interpretation of morphological features and a detailed assessment of spatially discriminated slope behaviour. Key factors controlling the mechanics of massive slow-moving landslides can be interpreted through the observation and detailed study of the slope behaviour and physical characteristics. Once identified, key components influencing slope deformation can be tested using three-dimensional numerical models. Two series of numerical simulations have been developed to test how explicitly defined internal shear zones, and the interaction between landslide morphological regions, influence global landslide behaviour. Results from these numerical simulations, when compared to field monitoring data, indicate that internal shear zones have little influence on Downie Slide deformation, while the interaction between morphological zones plays a larger role in slope kinematics.

Potential effects of incoming climate changes on the behaviour of slow active landslides in clay

Today, a stimulating debate involves the scientific community about the impact of presumable future climate changes on the human life. One of the main question marks concerns their effects on hydrological hazards. Unfortunately, often such a debate is not based on reliable data. The paper proposes a methodology based on the coupling of climatic scenarios and geotechnical analyses accounting for the potential changes in climate parameters. Some analyses have been carried out to forecast the future behaviour of a slow landslide in clay. According to the adopted model, local climate effects should cause a slow decrease in the displacement rate.

The impacts of formative system on the landslides of Iran

Article history: Received October 1, 2011 Received in Revised form November, 14, 2011 Accepted 15 December 2011 Available online 22 December 2011 Landslide is one of the most challenging disasters on the earth, which is believed to cause other natural catastrophic incidents. Normally, in studying landslide we investigate different influencing factors such as gender land, atmospheric rainfall, gradients’ change, earthquake, volcanic eruption, subterranean water vibration, and human causes in the form of different models. These facts are blamed as the main share in appearing this phenomenon. However, correlative and sufficient condition for genesis such a phenomenon is historical base of lands’ bed, which needs specific formative process. There are several studies focused on distribution and dispersion of slides and their reasons. In this paper, we investigate the behavior of landslide and its effects on instigating instabilities. The preliminary results indicate that distribution of this phenomenon is associated with climate from a side and historical formative process on the other side. The weather condition of Iran is divided into four groups of cold, hot, humid and humid hot hole. Every region has its own special geomorphic properties and either directly or indirectly affects on landslide occurrence. In order to study this effect, we use Arc GIS 9.3 software dispersal map of Iran’s main landslides and formative systems on the other side and by local analyzing these two collections are evaluated based on their vicinity relationship using localstatistical techniques. Results of this research shows that the main part of this landslide occurs in cold hole and humid hole and only about 8 percent are happens in hot holl. In addition, density of landslides are more in thermodynamic bound of cold and hot hole as well as cold and humid hole. © 2012 Growing Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sector collapse at Kick 'em Jenny submarine volcano (Lesser Antilles): numerical simulation and landslide behaviour

Kick 'em Jenny volcano is the only known active submarine volcano in the Lesser Antilles. It lies within a horseshoe-shaped structure open to the west northwest, toward the deep Grenada Basin. A detailed bathymetric survey of the basin slope at Kick 'em Jenny and resulting high-resolution digital elevation model allowed the identification of a major submarine landslide deposit. This deposit is thought to result from a single sector collapse event at Kick 'em Jenny and to be linked to the formation of the horseshoe-shaped structure. We estimated the volume and the leading-edge runout of the landslide to be ca. 4.4 km3 and 14 km, respectively. We modelled a sector collapse event of a proto Kick 'em Jenny volcano using VolcFlow, a finite difference code based on depth-integrated mass and momentum equations. Our models show that the landslide can be simulated by either a Coulomb-type rheology with low basal friction angles (5.5°–6.5°) and a significant internal friction angle (above 17.5°) or, with better results, by a Bingham rheology with low Bingham kinematic viscosity (0 < νB < 30 m2/s) and high shear strength (130 < γ ≤ 180 m2/s2). The models and the short runout distance suggest that the landslide travelled as a stiff cohesive flow affected by minimal granular disaggregation and slumping on a non-lubricated surface. The main submarine landslide deposit can therefore be considered as a submarine mass slide deposit that behaved like a slump.

Run-out analysis of flow-like landslides triggered by the Ms 8.0 2008 Wenchuan earthquake using smoothed particle hydrodynamics

Flow-like landslides have caused significant damage and casualties worldwide. However, studying such phenomena with traditional simulation methods is made difficult by their complex fluidization characteristics. In this paper, we use smoothed-particle hydrodynamics (SPH) for the run-out analysis of flow-like landslides. Compared with conventional methods, the proposed SPH modeling technique is the combination of a Bingham flow model and Navier–Stokes equations in the framework of computational fluid dynamics. At first, two benchmark problems of dam break and granular flow are simulated and verified to evaluate the accuracy of the SPH model. Then, run-out analyses are performed for flow-like landslides triggered by the Ms 8.0 Wenchuan earthquake that occurred on 12 May 2008 in Sichuan Province, China. Run-out analyses of the Tangjiashan, Wangjiayan, and Donghekou landslides are conducted by the application of SPH models to real flow-like landslides. All simulations show good agreement with characteristics of flow-like landslides observed in the field. We have found that numerical modeling can capture the fundamental dynamic behavior of these flow-like landslides and produce preliminary results for hazard assessment and site selection for reconstruction in earthquake-prone areas.

Mapping areas of potential slope failures in cohesive soils using a shadow-casting algorithm – A case study from SW Sweden

When performing landslide susceptibility mapping of rotational slides in fine grained soils, slope algorithms found in common GIS software have two major shortcomings. Firstly, these types of terrain algorithms only consider the slope angle at the surface. Secondly, the algorithm is local by its design i.e. it only considers neighbouring pixels. Due to the behaviour of a retrogressive rotational landslide, it would be more preferable to consider slope information as a predetermined cross-section angle from the base of the slope. This paper presents a new method using shadow casting algorithms for preliminary landslide susceptibility mapping in cohesive soils. A case study from western Sweden is also presented.

USE OF DISCONTINUOUS DEFORMATION ANALYSIS TO EVALUATE THE DYNAMIC BEHAVIOR OF SUBMARINE TSUNAMI-GENERATING LANDSLIDES IN THE MARMARA SEA

This study assessed the relevance of numerical modeling with respect to the mechanical properties of specific rock and investigated the applicability of submarine landslide simulation using discontinuous deformation analysis (DDA). To predict the dynamic behavior of submarine landslides, we developed a way to model a jointed rock mass for the evaluation of rock slope instability and an original DDA approach using an energy loss model that incorporates energy loss caused by collision between blocks and seawater resistance as a viscous force. We applied the developed model to estimate the dynamic behavior of actual submarine landslides. The simulations assessed seawater resistance and energy loss due to collision between blocks, reproducing past events and suggesting the behavior of vulnerable slopes. The results demonstrate that the model can clarify the energy loss caused by slope absorbability and seawater resistance, and that the improved DDA is very useful for submarine land analysis.