Large Landslides Research Articles

Formation and distribution of landslides controlled by thrust-strike-slip fault zones and fluvial erosion in the Western Qinling Mountains, China

In active orogenic belts, fault zones and fluvial erosion are the two principal factors that control the development of landslides. The Langma-Baiya fault zone (LBFZ) and the Bailongjiang fault zone (BFZ) in the Western Qinling Mountains (WQM) in China are part of an intracontinental orogenic zone, where landslides are the principal geomorphological process. It is also one of the regions with the most severe landslide disasters in China. We established a historical landslide database for the LBFZ and BFZ, based on high-precision remote sensing image interpretation and field investigation. The results indicated a total of 2764 landslides, including 1190 large landslides and 79 giant landslides. The quality of the landslide database was evaluated using the frequency-area curve distribution characteristics, and the results showed that the small-medium size landslides are underrepresented in the database, likely due to the influence of factors such as surface erosion, vegetation coverage, and human activities. Therefore, we focused on the spatial distribution and formation mechanism of large and giant landslides. Landslides are unevenly distributed in space; specifically, our field investigation and statistical analysis of swath profiles revealed that landslides are aggregated within tectonic zones, in areas of weak rock masses, and on the banks of rivers. Finally, based on the combination of the various factors controlling landslides, we divided the study area into three subregions, for which conceptual models were established. These models highlight the importance of the distance of the fault zone to a river, together with the degree of fluvial erosion, in controlling the development of landslides. The combined effects of fluvial erosion, geological structures, and the low-grade metamorphic rocks exposed along fault zones are major controls on the development of large landslides, and the local structural characteristics of thrust-strike-slip fault zones control the type of landslides.

Failure and disaster-causing mechanism of a typhoon-induced large landslide in Yongjia, Zhejiang, China

Failure and disaster-causing mechanism of a typhoon-induced large landslide in Yongjia, Zhejiang, China

Diversity of Arbuscular mycorrhizae in landslide areas of Garhwal Region, Uttarakhand, India

Hill slopes in Uttarakhand Himalaya are observed for their largescale slope destabilization. Landslides are among hydro-geological hazard in the fragile geology of the state which cause huge losses in terms of biodiversity, infrastructure, time and human life. This paper highlights presence and diversity of mycorrhizal species in landslides prone areas in locality of selected highways in the Garhwal region of Uttarakhand. Eight (08) AM fungi, viz., G. macrocarpum, G. fasciculatum, F. coronatum, A. laevis, A. foveata, A. tuberculata, A. sporocarpia and A. myriocarpa were found in 20 large landslide areas. Acaulosporaceae was found dominant family followed by Glomeraceae. Spore density of G. macrocarpum was the highest with 13 spores/100 g soil. The percentage of importance value varied from 7.16 to 21.59. Results of present paper may endorse the use of AM fungi in restoration the unstable soil profiles.

Electromagnetic and magnetic imaging of the Stillwater Complex, Montana, USA

Modelling and analysis of helicopter electromagnetic data result in resistivity and susceptibility models and derivatives of magnetic data that characterise shallow parts of the Stillwater Complex, critical for aiding exploration and expansion of globally scarce critical and battery mineral resources that include platinum group elements, nickel, copper and chromium. The magnetic susceptibly models derived from the electromagnetic data and the tilt derivative of the magnetic data image layering, mafic dikes, banded iron formation, and serpentinised peridotite. Known areas with contact-type mineralisation are generally characterised by low resistivities and susceptibilities where the volume of mineralised rock is large and/or the depth is shallow. We use iso-cluster and edge detection analysis of both resistivities and susceptibilities to identify potential mineralisation in poorly characterised regions as well as faults. Low resistivity layers beneath large landslides reflect water saturated porous slip surfaces which can interfere with drilling. This uncommon approach of tightly linking the resistivity and susceptibility models and magnetic anomaly data to rock property, surficial geologic, drill hole and soil geochemistry data to image the geology in the upper ∼100 m, aids identification of prospective mineralised regions as well landslides and faults that can impact mineral exploration and local hazards.

Landslide detection in real-time social media image streams

Lack of global data inventories obstructs scientific modeling of and response to landslide hazards which are oftentimes deadly and costly. To remedy this limitation, new approaches suggest solutions based on citizen science that requires active participation. In contrast, as a non-traditional data source, social media has been increasingly used in many disaster response and management studies in recent years. Inspired by this trend, we propose to capitalize on social media data to mine landslide-related information automatically with the help of artificial intelligence techniques. Specifically, we develop a state-of-the-art computer vision model to detect landslides in social media image streams in real-time. To that end, we first create a large landslide image dataset labeled by experts with a data-centric perspective, and then, conduct extensive model training experiments. The experimental results indicate that the proposed model can be deployed in an online fashion to support global landslide susceptibility maps and emergency response.

Revealing the relation between spatial patterns of rainfall return levels and landslide density

Abstract. It is known that the spatial rainfall pattern can mark landslide distribution across the landscape during extreme triggering events. However, the current knowledge of rainfall controls on this distribution remains limited. Here, to reveal what rainfall characteristics control landslide spatial distribution, we explore the spatiotemporal pattern of a rainfall event that triggered over 7500 landslides (area ≈ 100–104 m2) at a regional scale with an area of ≈400 km2 in Japan. Using a 5 km resolution radar-driven and gauge-adjusted hourly precipitation dataset with 32 years of records, we compared rainfall return levels for various time ranges from 1 to 72 h and landslide density in each grid cell of the precipitation dataset (≈25 km2). The results show that, even if local slope distributions within the grid cells are comparable, the number of landslides in a ≈25 km2 grid cell was substantially high when rainfall return levels exceeded the 100-year return period in all examined timespans (i.e., 1–72 h). In contrast, when only specific-duration rainfall intensities (e.g., 6–48 h) exceeded the 100-year return level, the landslide density in corresponding grid cells tended to be low. Consequently, the landslide density increased with the increase in rainfall return levels of various timespans rather than a specific rainfall intensity, such as downpours for a few hours or long-term cumulative rainfall for several days. Moreover, with the increase in the landslide density, the number of relatively large landslides exceeding ≈400 m2 increased. Therefore, the spatial differences in rainfall return levels potentially constrain the density of total landsliding and relatively large landslides. In this sense, whether rainfall intensities reach high return levels rarely experienced in a wide timespan ranging from a few hours to several days is one of the key determinants of the spatial distribution of landslides and the extent of related hazards.

Landslide Measurement in Glendroud Region (From the Central Part of Noor City) in Mazandaran Province Iran by Using Remote Sensing and Radar Interferometry Techniques

Studying and monitoring the amount of displacement caused by changes in the shape of the earth's surface is one of the important and practical studies in various topics of geology and geophysics, which plays a significant role in the prevention and behavior of natural disasters such as earthquakes, subsidence, and landslides. Among them, there are various methods for geodetic measurements and monitoring of these deformations, among them the radar interferometric technique with the capabilities of producing wide, frequent and continuous ground covers, as well as high temporal and spatial resolution, is one of the techniques has become importantand significant. Landslides in the Yilagh area of GlenrodRoyan, Noor city, caused a lot of damage to some residential areas, gardens and roads of several villages in the region. Due to the movement of the earth, water and electricity have been cut off in some areas. About one kilometer of the north-south road has been destroyed and the most damage has been done to the houses of Foulad welfare complex. After passing through a long period (more than 60 years) of drought, the country of Iran has faced various risks in recent years, especially in 2018 and 2019, including floods and landslides. The aim of this thesis is to obtain the amount of displacements caused by the landslide in Glenrod region in 2019 using sentinel-1 satellite images by using the differential radar interferometry method using snap software. In this regard, from 4 satellite images It has been used during the years 2019-2020, and according to the results obtained, the largest landslide during the second period was 15 cm, which is based on the information obtained from the mapping organization and the opinion of geologists and experts in the region who stated that the largest displacement in area under report was March 2019 and it matches with the findings carried out by the present authors.

Study of early identification method for large landslides in high vegetation coverage areas of Southwest China

Landslide disasters with dense vegetation and steep terrain, and high concealment frequently occur in Southwest China. Current field surveys, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) photogrammetry, and Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) technologies all have limitations in complex environments with high vegetation coverage. In this study, the landslide in Xinmo Village, Mao County, Aba Prefecture, Sichuan Province, was used as the research object. The slope types were divided according to the regional stratum occurrence and slope direction, and the dip slope was identified as the pre-selected area for the landslide. Nine vegetation indexes were constructed based on Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI) data, and Modified Soil Adjusted Vegetation Index (MSAVI) with high correlation was selected as the indicator of landslide change to estimate the vegetation coverage. The relationship between vegetation anomalies and landslide creep was analyzed by superimposing slope structure and vegetation spatial variation characteristics. The results showed that from May 2015 to May 2017, the vegetation coverage in the landslide main source area, above the deformation body, local collapse area, and around the washouts showed a significant decrease; i.e., as the time of landslide was approaching, some vegetation in the study area was affected by the landslide deformation and the growth condition became worse. Between April and May 2017, the vegetation coverage in the area not affected by the landslide was less than 0.6 (i.e., bare ground area) decreased abruptly, with change rates of 78.4, 87.7, and 89.7%, respectively, which is consistent with the development pattern of vegetation in the growing period; while the reduction rate of image elements in the vegetation abnormal area was only 20.5%, which judged that the vegetation might be affected by landslide creep and the growth and development were hindered. The study shows that there is an obvious spatial–temporal correlation between vegetation anomalies and landslide deformation during the landslide creep phase, which indirectly reflects the evolution process of landslide gradual destabilization and provides a theoretical basis for the early identification of landslides in high vegetation coverage areas.

The effect of saturation and salts on the rigidity of fine-grained material

Repeated multi-channel analysis of surface waves (MASW) and horizontal to vertical spectral ratio (HVSR) experiments were conducted on a hummock within a large landslide in east-central Utah adjacent to a small wetland. Stakes were placed into the ground to ensure identical array geometries and geophone locations. The landslide is an admixture of fine-grained material (clay, quartz and Na-plagioclase) and intermediate-composition volcanic clasts. A prominent crust of Na-salts covered the hummock surface, produced by evapotranspiration of shallow groundwater associated with the adjacent fen.The experiments produced three primary observations. First, on any given day, the Rayleigh wave frequency spectra were highly reproducible between individual experiments. Second, from May to October the spectra exhibited high variability between experiments conducted weeks apart, especially at frequencies <20 Hz. Third, a persistent subsurface boundary exists across which Vs increases from ~175 to ~300 m/s. However, that boundary migrated over time from a depth of ~5 to ~4 m.The low velocity of the upper ~5 m subsurface layer represents poorly-compacted landslide material, perhaps weakened from high Na+ concentrations. However, the variability in frequency spectra and upward migration of the boundary must have arisen from changing moisture and salt content over time. The fen was instrumented with a piezometer that showed an overall ~1 m decline in water levels from May to October with small, superimposed recharge events resulting from summer monsoon rains.This study leads to two important conclusions. Specific to this site and perhaps others, variable moisture content can affect capillary forces and the proportion of evaporite cements in the shallow subsurface that are manifested in strikingly different frequency spectra and migrating stiffness (Vs) boundaries. More generally, moisture and salt content can affect estimates of subsurface stiffness, including the position of apparent boundaries within unconsolidated materials.

The recent volcanism of Flores Island (Azores), Part II: Stratigraphy and eruptive history of the Comprida Volcanic System

The stratigraphy and eruptive history of a volcanic system are key to forecast the timing and style of future eruptions. Flores is a small volcanic island in the Azores Archipelago with no record of eruptions since its settlement in the 15th century, although at least six eruptions are known to have occurred during the Holocene. Thus, Flores must be considered potentially active, and its volcanic hazard should not be disregarded. The most recent eruptions clustered at two centres of activity: the Funda Volcanic System (FVS) and the Comprida Volcanic System (CVS). Here, we reconstruct for the first time the eruptive history of CVS, the youngest volcanic system of Flores. Based on detailed tephrostratigraphic and geomorphological work, combined with radiocarbon dating and glass shard geochemistry, we show that – despite featuring five (maybe six) phreatomagmatic craters – CVS was formed in a single volcanic eruption at ∼3180 cal yr BP. This eruption started with Hawaiian-style lava fountaining followed by Strombolian activity, dispersing tephra fallout across the central part of the island. Lava flows were also emitted during the initial phase, which drained to the west and cascaded over the older deposits of the massive slump of Fajãzinha–Fajã Grande, and possibly reached the coastline to form the Fajã Grande lava delta. The initial magmatic phase was followed by phreatomagmatic explosions that formed several maars and tuff rings. Hence, groundwater played an important role in the eruption by transforming a mild Hawaiian-Strombolian eruption into a highly explosive phreatomagmatic event, possibly due to oscillations in the eruption rate. The occurrence of a large landslide contemporary to the eruption, raises the possibility of a combined threat. A new and more robust volcanic hazard assessment for the island involving scientists and civil protection authorities is desirable.

Influence of Relative Sea-Level Rise, Meteoric Water Infiltration and Rock Weathering on Giant Volcanic Landslides

Recent studies have shown that giant landslides correlate with climatic variations. However, the precise processes involved in this phenomenon need to be better defined. This study investigates the causes of giant landslides using a modeling approach. Here, I show that the effect of meteoric water infiltration could be distinguished from that of the sea level rise in triggering paleo-landslides. It is possible to identify the cause of coastal paleo-landslides based on the age of occurrence and comparison with climatic signals when glacial maxima are wetter than during interglacial periods, as in Polynesia and East Equatorial Africa, but not in other cases (Caribbean, Indonesia). The role of pore-pressure variations and sea water loading variations is discussed. The interaction between the relative sea level rise, pre-existing relief and deep weak structure due to the presence of highly weathered lavas may trigger the conditions for a large landslide. Highly weathered lavas have very low friction angles in volcanic islands. When volcanoes are still active, pressure fluctuations in the magma chamber caused by sea level lowering are expected to play a significant role in the destabilization of the relief. Competing processes in real cases make it difficult to distinguish between these processes.

Using the Spatiotemporal Hot Spot Analysis and Multi-Annual Landslide Inventories to Analyze the Evolution and Characteristic of Rainfall-Induced Landslide at the Subwatershed Scale in Taiwan

This study used rainfall and annual landslide data for the 2003–2017 period in Taiwan to determine the long-term evolution of landslides and conducted a spatiotemporal analysis of landslides at the subwatershed scale. The historically severe landslide induced by Typhoon Morakot in 2009 was mainly distributed in the central mountainous region and southern Taiwan. The Mann–Kendall trend test revealed that in 2003–2017, 13.2% of subwatersheds in Taiwan exhibited an upward trend of landslide evolution. Local outlier analysis results revealed that the landslide high–high cluster was concentrated in the central mountainous region and southern Taiwan. Moreover, the spatiotemporal analysis indicated 24.2% of subwatersheds in Taiwan in 2003–2017 as spatiotemporal landslide hot spots. The main patterns of spatiotemporal landslide hot spots in 2003–2017 were consecutive, intensifying, persistent, oscillating, and sporadic hot spots. The recovery rate in the first two years after the extreme rainfall-induced landslide event in Taiwan was 22.2%, and that in the third to eighth years was 31.6%. The recovery rate after extreme rainfall-induced landslides in Taiwan was higher than that after major earthquake-induced landslides in the world, and the new landslides were easily induced in the area of rivers and large landslide cases after Typhoon Morakot in 2009.

Multiple earthquake-induced progressive failure of bedding slopes with a saturated weak layer: Shaking table model tests

The Longmenshan (LMS) orogenic belt located in the south-eastern Tibetan Plateau has suffered from frequent earthquakes. Despite the fact that multiple earthquakes can accelerate the catastrophic failure of deep-seated bedding landslides by causing rock mass damage accumulation, the seismic deformation evolution characteristics during the progressive failure have received limited attention. This study employs a physical model of deep-seated bedding landslides with a saturated weak layer as a slope prototype to conduct model tests that simulate the progressive failure induced by repeated earthquakes. Embedded sensors and digital image correlation (DIC) technology were used to monitor the seismic response and deformation evolution of the physical model. During the test, sensors embedded in the saturated weak layer recorded the excess pore water pressure (EPWP). The test results revealed that the EPWP responses are highly related to the input parameters of seismic waves and the seismic damage state of the weak layer. In addition, a deformation coefficient (Dc) was proposed to identify the deformation stages consisting of the release of steep tensile failure surface and the shear failure evolution from stable to accelerated deformation. Finally, the test results indicated that historical seismic damage accumulation will make an important contribution to later earthquake-induced coseismic instability, which provide new insight into the initiation of large landslides triggered by low magnitude earthquakes.

Double Strength Reduction Method for Slope Stability Analysis Based on Water Content Variation: A Study and Engineering Application

Soil moisture content changes caused by rainfall and other factors can significantly affect slope stability and potentially lead to geological disasters, such as landslides and debris flows. However, conventional finite element methods for strength reduction do not consider the impact of water content on slope stability. This paper examines classical finite element methods for reducing the double strength coefficient and then introduces a novel approach using changes in moisture content. The new method is implemented through the use of an ABAQUS FE program’s USDFLD user-defined subroutine. This paper concludes by contrasting the outcomes derived from the limit equilibrium technique and other techniques and verifying the accuracy of the suggested approach through theoretical and numerical simulations. The numerical calculations for the stability evaluation of the Azhuoluo slope in the Chinese province of Guizhou, Shuicheng county were performed utilizing the ABAQUS FE platform’s USDFLD user-defined subroutine based on the double-strength discounting method, in response to the large landslide disaster in the region. The results show that the red clay, formed from the weathering of basalt in the area, experiences asynchronous decay in both friction angle and cohesion as the water content increases, with a significantly higher decay rate in the internal friction angle compared to cohesion. This indicates that traditional finite element methods that synchronously discount the internal friction angle and cohesion do not correspond to reality, whereas this proposed double-strength discounting method, based on water content changes, accurately reflects the essential characteristics of slope instability and has clear physical meaning and practical engineering applications.

Emplacement history of volcaniclastic turbidites around the central Azores volcanic islands: Frequencies of slope landslides and eruptions

Volcanic islands export clastic material to their surrounding oceans by explosive eruptions, lava emissions, biogenic production on their shelves, and failure of their slopes, amongst other processes. This raises the question of whether geological events (in particular, eruptions and landslides) can be detected offshore and dated, and whether any relationships (for example, with climate changes) can be revealed using sediment cores. The volcanically active central Azorean islands (Faial, Pico, São Jorge, and Terceira), with their neighboring submarine basins, are potentially good candidates for such an analysis. Here, chronostratigraphies of four gravity cores collected amongst the islands are constructed based on twelve radiocarbon dates and two dates derived by geochemically correlating primary volcaniclastic turbidites with ignimbrites on Faial and Terceira Islands. Age-depth models are built from the hemipelagic intervals to estimate individual turbidite dates. Volumes of turbidites are modeled by multiplying basin areas with bed thickness, allowing for various turbidite thinning rates and directions. The volumes of landslide-generated turbidites are only comparable with the largest volumes of their adjacent upper-slope submarine landslide valleys; therefore, such turbidites in the cores likely derive from these largest landslides. Emplacement intervals between turbidites originating from both landslides and pyroclastic density currents are found to be mostly a few thousand years. Frequencies of landslide-generated turbidites and hemipelagic sedimentation rates were both highest in the past 8 k.y. compared to preceding periods up to 50 k.y. High hemipelagic sedimentation rates are interpreted to be related to sea-level rise, allowing more shelf bioproduction and release of particles by coastal erosion. The coincident increased frequencies of submarine landslides may also be associated with the increased sediment supply from the islands, resulting in a more rapid build-up of unstable sediments on submarine slopes. Notably, the emplacement frequencies of turbidites of pyroclastic density current origins do not suggest the decreased eruption frequency toward the Holocene that has been found elsewhere.

Editorial: Large landslides in the Sichuan–Tibet railway: Recognition, mechanism, and mitigation

EDITORIAL article Front. Earth Sci., 14 March 2023Sec. Geohazards and Georisks Volume 11 - 2023 | https://doi.org/10.3389/feart.2023.1170789

Landslide Detection Using Time-Series InSAR Method along the Kangding-Batang Section of Shanghai-Nyalam Road

Due to various factors such as urban development, climate change, and tectonic movements, landslides are a common geological phenomenon in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau region, especially on both sides of a road, where large landslide hazards often result in traffic disruptions and casualties. Identifying the spatial distribution of landslides and monitoring their stability are essential for predicting landslide occurrence and implementing prevention measures. In this study, taking the Kangding-Batang section of Shanghai-Nyalam Road as the study area, we adopted a semi-automated time-series interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) method to identify landslides and monitor their activity. A total of 446 Sentinel-1 ascending and descending SAR images from January 2018 to December 2021 were thus collected and processed by using open-source InSAR processing software. After a series of error corrections, we obtained surface deformation maps covering the study area, and a total of 236 potential landslides were subsequently identified and classified into three categories, namely slow-sliding rockslides, debris flows, and debris avalanches, by combining deformation maps, optical images, and a digital elevation model (DEM). For a typical landslide, we performed deformation decomposition and analyzed the relationship between its deformation and rainfall, revealing the contribution of rainfall to the landslide. In addition, we discussed the effect of SAR geometric distortion on landslide detection, highlighting the importance of joint ascending and descending observations in mountainous areas. We analyzed the controlling factors of landslide distribution and found that topographic conditions are still the dominant factor. Our results may be beneficial for road maintenance and disaster mitigation. Moreover, the entire processing is semi-automated based on open-source tools or software, which provides a paradigm for landslide-related studies in other mountainous regions of the world.

Genetic mechanisms and a stability evaluation of large landslides in Zhangjiawan, Qinghai Province

It is important to study the instability law of typical landslides to understand the evolution of regional landslides and for disaster prevention. This study uses the Zhangjiawan landslide in Xining City, Qinghai Province, as an example. Through field surveys and an analysis of the geological environmental conditions, the formation and evolution mechanisms of the Zhangjiawan landslide are summarized. The stability of the Zhangjiawan landslide was evaluated using limit equilibrium and numerical simulation methods to provide theoretical support for the susceptibility of the Zhangjiawan landslide. The results show that the main reasons for the occurrence of multi-grade landslides are the steep and gentle terrain changes, the poor permeability of the mudstone lithology, the excavation of the front anti-slide section, and rainfall. The whole deformation and failure mechanism of the landslide is the “unloading rebound-tension deformation-creep deformation.” The results of the numerical simulation and the limit equilibrium methods are nearly the same, and the difference in the stability coefficients is small. Under rainstorm conditions, the displacement and the maximum shear strain increments are mainly concentrated on the rear edge of the landslide mass, and the front edge is pushed, which is a typical push-type landslide.

Sedimentological characteristics and their relationship with landsliding in the Bhilangana Basin, Garhwal Himalaya, India

Every year during the Indian Summer Monsoon, large landslides occur in the Lesser and the Greater Himalayan rock formations, triggered by intense rainfall episodes coupled with physiography and anthropogenic activities. The present study investigates the slope failure mechanism's relationship with slope material compositions. Hence, sediment samples of 25 landslides were collected along the road corridors. These samples were collected from the Lesser and Greater Himalayan ranges and rock formations. The sediment was collected from the active landslides to understand particle size, clay content, moisture content, mineral composition, crystallographic structures, and the influence of geomorphic processes on the landslide failure processes. The samples were analyzed using a sieve, X-ray Diffractometry (XRD), and Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to accomplish the study's objectives. The analysis indicates that the Lesser Himalayan meta-sedimentary rock formations have a high composition of fine and medium-size particles, lesser quartz mineral compositions with calcite, and a highly crushed and fractured presence, conchoidal fractures types of morphological features. Micrographs obtained from the schist and phyllite rock of the Lesser Himalayan origin shows highly sheared and crushing, crystal overgrowth; and, in turn, have a higher susceptibility to landslides. The relationship between slope materials and instability has shown a definite pattern in the study area. The debris flow and slump have a comparatively higher percentage of clay and silt compared to debris fall, debris slide, and rockfall. The particle size composition of sediment collected from the slip zone is significantly related to the types of landslides. The present study is helpful in understanding the sediment composition and slope failure mechanism.

Experimental study on disaster mechanism of completely weathered granite landslide induced by extreme rainfall

BackgroundWith the increased frequency of extreme weather, landslides induced by extremely heavy rainfall pose a major threat to human lives and property safety. In July 2020, a landslide occurred in the strongly weathered Laoshan Scenic Spot in Qingdao, China, and a short period of heavy rainfall was the main factor inducing the landslide.MethodBased on the similarity criterion, three groups of laboratory model tests under different extreme rainfall conditions were conducted using a large landslide model test box. The rainfall infiltration responses under different rainfall intensities, deformation processes, and failure modes of the slope were analyzed. The inducing mechanism and rainfall disaster process of granite landslides induced by extreme rainfall in strongly weathered areas were summarized.ResultThe results showed that (1) a completely weathered granite landslide induced by rainfall had four stages, i.e., infiltration erosion, surface deformation, damage deepening, and overall instability, and the landslide was characterized by "sheet slip". (2) With greater rainfall intensities, the rainfall infiltration rate was higher, the changes in soil pressure, pore water pressure, water content, and matrix suction were faster, and the hysteresis effect was weaker. (3) A certain spatial distribution pattern was observed between slope deformation/damage and rainfall infiltration, and the research results could provide references for landslide warning and treatment in strongly weathered granite areas.