Landslides

The occurrence of slope movements is the consequence of a complex field of forces (stress is a force per unit area) which is active on a mass of rock or soil on the slope. Movement occurs when the shear stress exceeds the shear strength of the material. Difference with soil erosion. The consequence of these forces in conjunction to the slope morphology and the geotechnical parameters of the material define together the specific type of landslide which might occur.

International Institute for Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation (ITC)

Types of landslides
Fall Topple Slide

Spread

Flow

ISL 2004

RISK = HAZARD * VULNERABILITY * AMOUNT Hazard = Probability of event with a certain magnitude Triggering mechanism Type of event Magnitude: Volume, domino effect, distance, duration, speed etc

Vulnerability = Degree of damage. Function of: magnitude of event, and type of elements at risk

Amount = Quantification of the elements at risk e.g. Replacement costs of buildings, infrastructure etc. Loss of function or economic activities Number of people

 Fall A slope of movement for which the mass in motion travels most of the distance through the air, and includes free fall movement by leaps and bounds and rolling of fragments of material. A fall starts with the detachment of material from a steep slope along a surface in which little or no shear displacement takes place. Topple A slope movement that occurs due to forces that cause an over-turning moment about a pivot point below the centre of gravity of the slope. A topple is very similar to a fall in many aspects, but do not involve a complete separation at the base of the failure Lateral spreading A slope movement characterized by the lateral extension of a more rigid mass over a deforming one of softer underlying material in which the controlling basal shear surface is often not well-defined. Slide A slope movement by which the material is displaced more or less coherently along a recognisable or less well-defined shear surface or band. Slide could be rotational (the sliding surface is curved) or translational (the sliding surface is more or less straight). In some cases a slide can change into a mudslide or slump-earthflow, especially on steep slopes, in highly tectonized clays or silty formations (Picarelli, 2001). A: Rotational slide: more or less rotational movement, about an axis that is parallel to the slope contours, involving shear displacement (sliding) along a concavely upward-curving failure surface, which is visible or may reasonably be inferred (Varnes, 1978). B: Translational slide: The material displaces along a planar or undulating surface of rupture, sliding out over the original ground surface. Flows A slope of movement characterized by internal differential movements that are distributed throughout the mass and in wich the individual practicles travel separately whithin the mass. Debris flow and debris avalanche: Debris flow is a very rapid to extremely rapid flow (> 1 m.s-1) of saturated non-plastic debris in a steep channel. Characteristic of a debris flow of a debris flow is the presence of an established channel or regular confined path, unlike debris avalanches which are thin, partly or totally saturated and which occur on hillslopes (Hungr et al. 2001).

The shape and size of slope movements vary because of the combination of several preparatory and triggering factors (dissolution, deformation and rupture by a static or dynamic load). They may be controlled by the topography (inclination and shape of the slope), the lithology (physical and geomechanical characteristics), the geological structure (dip, fault, discontinuity), the hillslope hydrology (pore pressures, water contents) or a combination of all these factors. Water intervenes in several ways. First, it acts by changing the state or consistency of materials (transition from a solid to a plastic and finally to a liquid state) (Coussot and Meunier, 1996); secondly, it lightens the terrain due to Archimedes thrust (Terzaghis law) in relation to water tables increases. The consequence for the slopes is a reduction in the inter-particle forces and the associated friction throughout the length of the rupture surfaces. Finally water acts as an agent in the transport of materials. A failure occurs when the disturbing forces that create movement exceed the resisting forces of the material.

Triggering factors may either increase the shear stress, decrease the shearing resistance of the material or both.