Deep-seated Movement Research Articles

Building Response to Excavation-Induced Ground Movements from a Nonlinear-Inelastic Perspective

The nonlinear-inelastic response of reinforced concrete moment-resisting frame buildings due to an adjacent excavation in soft to medium clays is presented. An advanced numerical model is used to account for building-soil-excavation interactions, post-yielding behavior of the structural members, and solid-fluid coupled behavior of supporting soils. The effects of the excavation on the internal force redistributions of structural members, lateral and vertical distortions, ground surface settlements, and lateral wall movements are presented in terms of angular distortions and drifts, curvature ductility, axial forces, and flexural moments. Results showed how beams progressively developed plastic deformations as deep-seated movements occurred during the excavation of soft and medium clays, reaching maximum curvature ductility ratios larger than 2. As the excavation advanced, maximum curvature ductilities of up to 5 were computed in beams closer to the excavation, causing localized inelastic mechanisms in the building. This paper shows how even well-designed buildings to withstand large levels of lateral load demands using strong column–weak beam approaches can still be subjected to significant excavation-induced nonlinear-inelastic demands that can cause damage.

Experimental investigation on the deformation characteristics of locking-steel- pipe (LSP) pile retaining structure during excavation in sand

Locking-steel-pipe (LSP) piles connect with adjacent joints to form a pile row enclosure structure. Due to the advantages of quick construction, efficiency in installation, and recycle utilization, the connected LSP piles are frequently used as retaining structure in deep excavation. However, systematic studies of the deformation mechanism of the LSP pile retaining structure are rarely reported, and it still lack of experimental evidence to optimize the design. In this study, a braced supported excavation experimental model test in sand was designed and conducted to investigate the deformation characteristics of LSP pile retaining structure. Three dimensional (3D) printing technique was creatively applied to manufacture LSP model piles. The experimental results show that, a “S” shaped distribution of bending moments is observed along pile shaft when excavation is executed; the deflection of pile shaft develops deep-seated movements toward the excavation side as excavation went deeper, resulting in a “bowl” ground settlement. With the deflection of LSP piles, a rotating trend was occurred between pairs of locking joint, and the severe open deformation of locking joint arose on excavation side. There was a gradual reduction in earth pressure behind the LSP pile retaining wall with excavation depth. The earth pressure between two struts level had no obvious changing, owing to the supported effect of inner struts.

The Geo-Hydro-Mechanical Properties of a Turbiditic Formation as Internal Factors of Slope Failure Processes

Similar to many inner areas of Southern Europe, the Daunia Apennines are affected by widespread landsliding, often consisting of slow, deep-seated movements. Recurrent acceleration of these landslides causes damage to buildings and infrastructures, severely biasing the socio-economic development of the region. Most landslides in the area of study occur within clayey units of turbiditic flysch formations, often severely disturbed by tectonic thrust and previous landsliding. The Faeto Flysch (FAE) is one of the most widespread turbiditic formations in the Daunia Apennines and is representative of the tectonised geological formations involved in slope failure. This work, by examining the landslide processes occurring at four pilot sites, aims at connecting the observed mechanisms to the geo-hydro-mechanical setup of FAE in the slopes. It is found that the soil portion of FAE consists of highly plastic clays, resulting in low intrinsic shear strength, and hence controls the initiation and progression of failure in the slopes, as such representing an internal predisposing factor to landsliding. In addition, the presence of fractured rock strata confers a high permeability at the slope scale, with respect to that of the soil matrix. This results in severe piezometric levels in the slope, which represent another internal predisposing factor to failure, and in the ability to induce significant seasonal pore water pressure oscillations down to great depths, connected to rainfall infiltration, thus triggering the recurrent acceleration of the landslides.

Modelling the instability phenomena on the NW flank of Stromboli Volcano (Italy) due to lateral dyke intrusion

The aim of the paper is to provide quantitative elements on the mechanisms that controlled the slope instabilities occurred after two major recent eruptions at Stromboli volcano (i.e. 2002–2003 and 2007). After a brief description of the geological setting and of the largest well documented instability phenomena on volcano flanks, the main objective is pursued using three-dimensional stress-strain analyses for modelling the effects of the magma intrusion on the stability of the volcano flank. Modelling is based on the results of an extensive geotechnical characterization of the volcaniclastic and lava materials. The numerical analyses investigate the influence of different paths and geometry of magma intrusion as well as the spatial variation of mechanical properties. As a result, favourable conditions for specific failure modes are identified. The stress-strain analyses show that magma intrusion can cause both a local failure of a wedge immediately downslope from the dyke or deep-seated movement involving large part of the slope; these two mechanisms were consistent with the deformative patterns observed during the 2007 and 2002–2003 eruptions, respectively. The magma thrust induces shear strains up to levels associated to appreciable grain crushing even below the sea level, where flow liquefaction can be invoked to explain the occurrence of past submarine slides. The submarine landslide is analysed by a combined finite element – limit equilibrium approach that demonstrates that instability conditions can develop if the loading exerted by the upper portion of the slope is sufficiently fast to produce undrained conditions. The analyses also support the hypothesis that at the 2002 subaerial failure occurred, due to combined effects of a magma mild thrust and the removal of the toe support caused by the preceding submarine slide.

Environmental impact of intensive farming in sloping areas

The increased demand for food causes intensive farming with high yield production and large water consumption to extend significantly. Depending on soil properties, seasonal rainfall, surface drainage and water resources, hence the consumption-infiltration balance, the ground water table might be raised or depleted; soils could be saturated or remain partly saturated with negative pore pressures. As a result sloping grounds may become prone to shallow slides, as mudflows, or deep seated movements, involving large volumes of soil, especially after rupture of major watering lines or after long uncontrolled irrigations. Within this framework the paper investigates the possible effects of replacing grassland with intensive apple farming on the stability conditions of slopes. Apples require frequent watering, especially during spring and summer to meet qualitative and quantitative productive standards. Also, sprinkler irrigation is often used to protect against hail. From the precipitation, irrigation, runoff, evaporation and plant transpiration balance, the evolution of the pore water pressure distribution within an average year is calculated. Then the modified shear strength of the unsaturated-saturated soils is determined and the factor of safety against sliding is calculated.

Coseismic landsliding during the Mw 7.1 Darfield (Canterbury) earthquake: Implications for paleoseismic studies of landslides

The head scarp of the Harper Hills landslide consists of ground cracks with vertical displacement and extension that opened during the 2010 Darfield (Canterbury) Mw 7.1 earthquake. The geomorphology of the cracks, regional geology and ground penetrating radar indicate that the landslide formed by bedding-controlled translation and joint-controlled toppling, and suggest incipient deep-seated movement. Crack depth and displacement along the head scarp vary along the ridge; maximum values are located where the head scarp is closest to the local ridge line. Increased seismic shaking due to topographic and geometric amplification of seismic waves is suggested as an explanation for this relationship. An excavation across the head scarp revealed no evidence of prior slip events over a time period that is likely to exceed the return period (1000–2500years) of peak ground accelerations experienced at this location in the Darfield earthquake. We suggest that specific seismologic attributes of the Darfield earthquake may have influenced the location of landsliding in this instance. Studies of paleo-landslides must consider crack preservation potential as well as complex source/site effects that may complicate estimates of acceleration return periods from the subsurface investigation of individual landslide head scarps.

A deep-seated slow movement controlled by structural setting in marly formations of Central Italy

The site investigation of low-gradient slopes composed by marly rocks usually focuses on shallow slides in weathered mantling material as it is assumed that the underlying bedrock has higher strength, but deeper investigations may reveal larger, active, deep-seated movements. A typical example of this is found in Montemartano (Perugia, Central Italy). Here aerial photo interpretation and field observations indicate that active movements involve the shallower portion of the slope, formed by a very old and large landslide body extending over an area of about 0.5 km2. Borehole core logging and probe inclinometer monitoring reveal that the area corresponding to the deep-seated landslide is moving at a maximum rate of 70 mm/year down to a maximum depth of 40 m. A comparison of inclinometer and piezometer data indicates that the movement seasonally reactivates even when rainfall and piezometer levels are below average values and suggests that structural setting of the whole slope influences both groundwater flow and movement kinematics. This hypothesis is reinforced by seepage analyses and stability analyses yielding a mobilized shear strength close to residual strength of the clayey interbeds of the marly limestone formations. This implies that instability occurs along bedding over a large part of the slide. The importance of these phenomena in land management policy is discussed and the critical aspects of their investigation and monitoring are addressed. The reconstruction of landslide geometry/stratigraphy and geotechnical characterization of the materials is closely considered, particularly as these are complicated by the limited representativeness of field and laboratory investigations in this type of material.

High precision photogrammetry for monitoring the evolution of the NW flank of Stromboli volcano during and after the 2002–2003 eruption

High precision aerial photogrammetry has been used in addition to other geophysical techniques such as bathymetric surveys, geodetic measurements, microseismicity recording, etc., for monitoring slope deformations and the volcanic activity of Stromboli Island (Aeolian Arc, Italy), during the last effusive eruption, which started on December 28, 2002 and soon after the major landslide/tsunami event of December 30. Qualitative and quantitative description of topographic and morphological changes of the Sciara del Fuoco were possible thanks to a recent pre-eruption photogrammetric survey performed in 2001; the comparisons of 12 multi-temporal digital terrain models carried out during the period January–June 2003 were used to evaluate the displaced mass by the landslide, the lava accumulation and the erosion processes of the Sciara del Fuoco. After the end of the eruption, four additional photogrammetric surveys were performed between July 2003 and October 2005 to monitor the evolution of the slope and detect potential instability phenomena. The slope appeared significantly modified and continued to evolve, showing marked erosion both on the lower part and toward the craters terrace. Over the same period, the new lava flows showed progressive contraction of the thicker part of the lava pile caused by its cooling and compaction and the possible sliding along the shear surface of the December 2002 deep-seated movement. The present morphology seems to be far from equilibrium and the deformation processes are still ongoing, justifying a continuous monitoring activity to understand the evolution of these instability phenomena.

Slope instability phenomena in permafrost regions of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, China

Permafrost covers a significant area of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Slope instability problem in the region was often neglected, though it plays important roles in engineering construction and landform processes. In this paper, the slope instability phenomena in the permafrost regions on the plateau are discussed. The slope failures often occur in the forms of thaw-induced landslides and gelifluction. Thaw-induced landslides are closely related to active layer detachment and changes of permafrost conditions. Such landslides include retrogressive flow and thaw slump and are hazardous to engineering constructions. Gelifluction includes deep-seated movement and surface movement. It is an important factor in landform planation because it may spread over a large area and remain active for a long period of time.

Measured Movements of Clay Slopes in the Ottawa Area

Natural degradation of slopes is normally considered to involve surficial displacements resulting mainly from frost action, erosion, and downhill creep. Measurements from inclinometer installations in a variety of slope profiles in the Ottawa area show that significant deep-seated movements may occur in these slopes. These movements are associated with seasonal peaks in ground water pressures within the slope and may contribute to the long term degradation of the slope.While the factor of safety against catastrophic failure of a slope is of prime importance, the possible effects of deep-seated slope movements should not be disregarded when considering adjacent land use.

Paleomagnetic-tectonic study of Mesozoic dike swarms in the Appalachians

Paleomagnetic evidence indicates that most of the extensive dike swarms cutting Triassic and older formations probably intruded in a time of regional tectonic and magmatic activity distinct from the late Triassic tectogenesis. The fossil magnetic directions of the dikes coincide neither with Late Triassic nor with Early Cretaceous paleomagnetic directions, which suggests a Jurassic age for the intrusions. The dikes were emplaced along tensional fractures that were the surficial expressions of deep-seated movements. The fan-shaped arrangement of these fractures indicates a southwestward decrease of the rotational component of the shear couple and a sinistral polarity of the shear movements. Periodic increases in tectonic and mafic magmatic activity, such as this one in the Jurassic, appear to be characteristic of Mesozoic deformations in the Appalachians.

Geological and Geophysical Studies in Western Part of Bengal Basin, India

Just beyond the western boundary of West Bengal, the great Indian shield disappears below a blanket of alluvium. The exposed part of the shield bordering the Bengal basin is marked by a row of intracratonic Gondwana basins, a series of thrust zones in Singhbhum, and extensive exposure of basic volcanics in the Rajmahal Hills. Intensive geophysical surveys and deep drilling in the alluvium-covered plains of West Bengal have revealed a thick section of Cretaceous and Tertiary sediments lying on a basement of basalt lava flows, presumably of the same age as the Rajmahal Group volcanics. An extension of the easternmost Gondwana basin farther east, below the Bengal alluvium, also is suggested. A series of buried basement ridges, marking the western margin of the Bengal basin, resumably kept the Gondwana continental basins isolated from the main Bengal basin through most of Tertiary time. Locally, during the late Tertiary, the sea transgressed over these basement ridges and onlapped parts of the Indian shield. Flanking the eastern margin of the buried ridges is a row of basin-margin en echelon faults and scarps, possibly the shallower expressions of some deep-seated movements in the basement. East of this marginal fault zone lies the stable shelf of West Bengal with a homoclinal dip toward the southeast. Seven seismic reflectors mapped in the Mesozoic and Tertiary sediments of the shelf indicate uniform increase of thickness (3,000 to 27,000 feet, approximately) of these sediments toward the southeast. Except for a few normal faults, the area is practically undisturbed structurally. An extensive unconformity between the Miocene and Pliocene has been recognized. Locally, weak evidence of another depositional break, at the top of the Oligocene, is present. Around Calcutta, the Eocene key horizon (Sylhet Limestone) shows a conspicuous basinward flexure (the hinge zone) at a depth of about 15,500 feet. East of this hinge, which traverses the whole Bengal basin, lies the deeper part of the basin with a greater rate of subsidence and a different lithofacies. Seismic interpretation suggests a sharp lithofacies change at this zone, from the Eocene nummulitic limestone of the stable shelf to a thick sequence of clay and shale in the deeper part of the basin. In the younger Tertiary sediments is a similar change of facies from the arenaceous sediments of the stable shelf to the dominantly argillaceous sediments downdip. Marine transgression on the West Bengal shelf occurred during the Late Cretaceous (locally), late Eocene (extensively), and Miocene (in the eastern parts only). Except for these periods of marine transgression, sedimentation took place under fresh-water, estuarine, or deltaic conditions. A summary of the tectonic and depositional history of the whole region, from the eastern margin of the Indian shield to the folded belt in Assam, is given in conclusion. This integrates the work done in West Bengal by the Indo-Stanvac Petroleum Project with that done in Assam by the Burmah Oil Company and its affiliates.

SAN ANDREAS, GARLOCK, AND BIG PINE FAULTS, CALIFORNIA

The Big Pine left lateral fault extends northeastward from Big Pine Mountain to the right lateral San Andreas fault, while the left lateral Garlock fault extends northeast from the San Andreas, but from a point 5 miles to the southeast. The Big Pine fault is considered the western segment of the Garlock fault as offset by the San Andreas. Movement on this Garlock-Big Pine fault zone appears to have caused the anomalous east-west trend of the San Andreas fault in this vicinity. Tens of miles of lateral movement have probably occurred on these faults with the possibility of a cumulative movement on the San Andreas of hundreds of miles since Jurassic time. Such distances are important elements in reconstructing paleogeologic conditions. The three concurrently active, long, steep, and deep faults are considered major conjugate shears which define a primary strain pattern of relative east-west extension and north-south shortening of an area of approximately 120,000 square miles. A northeast-southwest counterclockwise compressive couple, possibly set up by drag due to the deep-seated movement of rock material from the Pacific region, is tentatively postulated as causing the deformation in this large region.

Large-scale superficial structures in the Northampton Ironstone Field

Summary Detailed mapping reveals many structures, unrelated to the slight regional tilting, folding and faulting, that are determined not by deep-seated movements but by disturbances that are demonstrably of superficial origin. These structures include cambers, gulls, dip-and-fault structure and valley bulges. As a result of these movements dissected Inferior and Great Oolite strata are lowered vertically to the extent of 100 feet or more, so that they swathe the hill tops and valley sides. The causal processes of this camber structure include sub-surface erosion and valleyward outflow of the underlying Lias. Gulls are widened joints in the camber filled with material from above. They usually* trend parallel to the strike of the cambered strata and may attain a width of 40 yards. Step-faulting of similar trend is commonly associated with advanced cambering. The throw of each fault in this " dip-and-fault " structure is compensated for by steep downslope dips (up to 40°) in the inter-fault blocks. Valley bulges comprise a variety of upward displacements of the strata that are confined to the valleys and are due to differential loading of the incompetent Lias. Their origin and mode of development are discussed in relation to the physiography of the area and the fundamental part played by the Lias clay. The economic significance of the structures in the exploitation of ironstone and in water supply are briefly considered and reference is made to analogous structures in other areas.