LANDSLIDES, MUDFLOWS

AND AVALANCHES
By
SOIL MECHANICS AND FOUNDATION
ENGINEERING GROUP 1

Rahul Abhishek (MT/CE/10006/2018)

Srijan Kumar Sinha (MT/CE/10011/2018)
 LANDSLIDES
A CONSEQUENCE OF SLOPE FAILURE
 DEFINITON

• Landslides are defined as down slope movement of rock, debris and/ or

earth under the influence of gravity.
• Though, the active part of the word is sliding, yet landslides represent earth
movements like fall, topple, flow etc as well.
MORPHOLOGY OF LANDSLIDES
 CAUSES OF LANDSLIDES
TRIGGERS Natural Causes
• Intense Precipitation • Weak or weathered materials
• Volcanic Eruptions • Contrast in permeability
• Earthquakes • Contrast in stiffness
• Freezing and Thawing • Sheared materials
• Flooding • Tectonic or volcanic uplift
• Glacial rebound
• Loss of vegetation
Human causes
• Excavation of slope or toe
• Use of unstable earth fills
• Loading of slope or crest
• Water leakage from utilities
• Artificial vibrations such as
pile driving, explosions etc
 TYPES OF LANDSIDES BASED ON MATERIAL
Source: California Geological Survey

• ROCK SLIDE : Landslide involving bedrock in which the rock that moves
remains largely intact for at least a portion of the movement.
• EARTH FLOW : Landslide where majority of the soil materials are fine-grained
(silt and clay) and cohesive.
• DEBRIS SLIDE : Landslide where majority of material is coarse-grained soil that
is sandy or gravel.
• ROCK FALL : A landslide where a mass of rock detaches from a steep slope by
sliding, spreading or toppling and descends mainly through the air by falling,
bouncing or rolling.
 TYPES OF LANDSIDES BASED ON PROCESS OF
FAILURE
Source: National Institute Of Disaster Management

• Fall : It starts with detachment of material from steep slopes such as cliffs along a surface on which
little or no shear displacement takes place and the detached material descends through air by free
falling, bouncing or rolling down.
• Topple : It involves overturning of material due to the forward rotation of the slope mass about a
point or axis below the centre of gravity.
• Slide : It involves movement of material along a recognizable shear surface.
• Flow : It involves movement of displaced particles separately within a moving mass.
• Spread : It is the sudden movement on water bearing sand or silt layer overlain by homogeneous clay
or loaded by fills.
• Creep : It includes landslides with very slow rate of slope movements that is few millimetres per year.
 COMPLEX LANDSLIDES

• Those landslides where the nature of failure process is not consistent but
changes with time.
• These landslides are found to be chronic and recurring in nature.
• It requires a persistent study to understand the causes of such landslides
properly.
• It is often very difficult to prevent and control such landslides.
• For example, Kaliasaur landslide in Alaknanda valley, Uttarakhand
 2014 MALIN LANDSLIDE
• Occurred on 30th July, 2014 in Ambegaon taluka, Maharashtra, India.
• The landslides were caused by heavy rainfall with the village receiving more than
10.8cm rainfall the previous day.
• The condition was worsened due to negligence of geological facts before
development and deforestation activities.
• More than 150 people lost their lives and 40 houses were destroyed.
• Rescue efforts were hampered by poor road conditions and continuing rains.
 PREVENTIVE MEASURES
• Slope Vegetation : It is one of the quickest and easiest ways and works best on
slopes that are not too steep or if the movement hasn't already begun.
• Retaining Walls : It should be made of sturdy materials such as masonry, brick,
stone etc
• Diverting Debris Pathways : It can be constructed with the help of retaining walls.
• Reinforcement of floor slabs and external walls in existing buildings.
• Installation of drainage pipes.
 ELDEWAS
• It stands for Early Landslide Detection and Warning System.
• It makes use of regularly updated weather conditions and forecasts, coupling
these to regional information on elevation profiles, slopes and land use,
allowing it to issue an early warning in case of danger
 What is a Mudflow?
• A mudflow happens when there is a lot of rain. When the water mixes with
the sediments in the soil and becomes a thick pasty material and slides down
a steep slope.
• A mudflow is when the soil becomes so saturated with water that it speeds
down the hill in a muddy river carrying debris.
• Mudflow can travel extremely fast at more than 10ft/s.
 Mudflow

Source- Wikipedia
 Types of Mudflows

• Lahars – These are mudflows caused by volcanic eruptions or heavy rains on

volcanic ash.
• Debris Flow - A debris flow is a moving mass of loose mud, sand, soil,
fragmented rock, water and air that travels down a slope under the influence
of gravity.
 Areas at risk
• A mudflow can occur where landslides have occurred before.
• It can also occur at the top of steep slope or at the base of low area.
• Areas where wildfires or human modification of land has destroyed the
vegetation.
• Slopes that has been altered for the construction of road and buildings.
 When does mudflows occur
• It occurs after erosion by water or glaciers
• Fires leaves slopes plain and bare so when rain comes it carries the slope
downhill.
• Heavy rains , melted snow and earthquakes weaken the ground.
• Volcanic eruptions can weaken the ground causing mudflow to occur.
Source- Wikipedia
 Prevention Methods
• By Appropriate planting – Trees , plants and roots help
hold the soil in place as they shield the topsoil from the
force of rain.
• Water Diversion Techniques- for the purpose to slow and
redirect the flow of water to the storm drain.
• Proper landscaping can help minimize the danger of
mudslide damage. Keep plants trimmed to lesser height
near buildings. Large heavy plants can break loose and
cause severe damage.
Protective measures to avoid mudflow
• Avoid any kind of construction near steep slopes, close to mountain edges or
along natural erosion valleys.
• Build channels or deflection walls to direct the flow around buildings.
• Cement bench drains and open trenches filled with gravel can be used to
channel water down to the storm drain .
SNOW AVALANCHES
 Introduction to Avalanches
• Snow avalanches represent a threat to societies in many countries of the
world. In America, Asia, Australia and Europe people , housing areas,
communication lines, animal and woodland are subjected to the threat of
snow avalanches. These countries also report fatal accidents and major
material damage caused by snow avalanches.
• On a world basis, snow avalanches do not represent the most serious
natural hazard but in many mountainous areas of the world, snow
avalanches are the most frequent and most serious natural hazard .
 Major areas prone to avalanches
• The best known country with snow avalanches is probably Switzerland , not only because of
many disasters but also because of extensive snow avalanche research that has been performed
for more than 60 years.
• Statistics from Switzerland indicate that about 25 persons per year are killed in snow avalanche
accidents and about 20 living houses are damaged each year on an average.
• Presently, Switzerland uses SFR 26 million per year in research and snow avalanche protection.
• In Austria ,snow avalanches are a major natural hazard. Every year , Austrian society spends
about 1200 million Austrian shillings on avalanche and torrent control and 250-300 million
austrian shillings on snow avalanche control.
 Causes of Snow Avalanches
• Avalanches are caused by unstable snow. Snow that is not well bonded to a hill-side,
underlying snow layers or other snow crystals, is considered to be unstable snow.
• In avalanche formation factors are important :-
(1)Slope profile
(2)Slope Aspect
(3)Snow cover factor
(4)Snow surface factor
 Slope Profile

• Avalanches most frequently occur on slopes of 30 to 45 degrees, but they may

release from 25 to 65 degree slopes.
• Slope profile – Dangerous avalanches are more likely to begin on convex slopes but
may also begin on concave slopes. Short slopes may be as dangerous as long slopes,
especially if an avalanche carries its victims over a cliff or into a valley, trees, rocks.
Effect of Slope Profile
Convex and Concave slopes
 The facing direction of slope
• Leeward slopes, the side away from the wind are dangerous because this is
where the snow collects and may form an unstable slab. Windward slopes,
the side facing the wind generally have less snow, and are usually more stable.
Redistribution of snow by wind
 Snow cover and snow surface
factors
• Snow Cover Factors- Large rocks, trees, and heavy brush help anchor the
snow. Smooth, opened slopes without these natural anchors are more
dangerous. But avalanches can start even among trees. When the snow depth
is sufficient to cover natural anchors, additional snow layers will slide more
readily.
• Snow surface- It is important to know the condition of the old Snow
surface when trying to assess developing snow stability. For example, cold
snow falling on hard frozen snow surfaces, may form a week bond and lead
to a rapid hazard increase.
 Preventive Measures
• The safest routes are on ridge tops and slightly on the windward side away from cornices.
Windward slopes are usually safer than leeward slopes. If you cannot travel on ridge, the
next safest route is out in the valley far from the bottom of slopes.
• Only one person at a time should cross a potentially dangerous slope. All others should
watch. Before crossing the slope loosen all equipment and fasten all clothes.
• If you must ascend or descend a dangerous slope-go straight up or straight down, do not
traverse back and forth across the slope. Take advantage of areas of dense timber ridges or
rocky outcroppings as islands of safety. Use them for lunch and rest stops. Spend as little
time as possible on open slopes.
Move one by one on complicated paths and in
straight line to avoid getting lost.
 Avalanche Survival
• If you are caught in an avalanche – Discard all equipment and move away from a
snowmobile if you’re riding one. Make swimming motions. Try to stay on top, work
your way to the side of the avalanche. Before coming to a stop get your hands in
front of your face and try to make an airspace in the snow. If you know you are
close to the surface, try to stick a hand or foot out of the snow so you can be easily
found. Most importantly, try to remain calm.
• If you see someone caught in an avalanche – mark the location where you last saw
the victim. Search directly down slope, below where the victim was last seen. If they
are not on the surface, scuff or probe the snow with a ski pole or use avalanche
transceivers if the victim is wearing one.
• First aid – If the victim is found beneath snow surface,treat for suffocation, shock,
impact injuries and hypothermia.
• Time is the key to survival – After ½ hour, the buried victim has only a 50 percent
chance of survival.