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The impoundment of reservoirs in canyons can aggravate the destruction of bank slopes. The Xingguang village landslide is located on the Xiluodu Reservoir in the lower reaches of the Jinsha River. It has deformed continuously since impoundment of the reservoir in 2012, and it seriously threatens the operational safety of the Xiluodu hydropower station. Its temporal and spatial deformation characteristics and its deformation mechanism have not been systematically monitored and explained. In this paper, the movement directions were identified based on the time-series cumulative displacement maps and the landslide is further partitioned into different sections by combining geomorphological data, stratigraphic occurrence, and lithological characteristics. The horizontal and vertical displacement characteristics of the two sections of the Xingguang village landslide were obtained by ascending and descending track interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) observation results and two-dimensional decomposition functions, and the results were further verified by a field survey and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) photography. The results show that the lithologic combination of alternating soft and hard anticline strata and the high steep bank slope cut by the Jinsha River are the internal factors responsible for the development of the Xingguang village landslide. The softening of the strata caused by water storage and the pressure difference caused by water level fluctuations reduce the slope stability. This study provides a new technical path to obtain the direction of landslide movement through time-series cumulative displacement maps and stratigraphic information and then identifies rock toppling in a remote way, which is of great significance for the prevention and control of rocky slope failures in canyon reservoir areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous studies about probabilistic back analysis for shear strength parameters of landslides generally adopted a fixed slip surface. This setting may lead to unreliable results due to the uncertainty of slip surface location speculated by limited observations. Based on Bayes' theorem, this paper proposes a probabilistic framework for the back analysis of landslides considering slip surface uncertainty. The posterior distributions of shear strength parameters in Bayesian inference are solved by Markov chain Monte Carlo simulation method. To improve computational efficiency, a response surface function based on extreme learning machine is constructed to approximate the relationship between shear strength parameters and the corresponding factor of safety and critical slip surface. A synthetic slope, for which the actual shear strength parameters and slip surface are known, is used to compare the proposed and traditional methods. The effects of measurement error of slip surface and prior distribution of shear strength parameters on probabilistic back analysis results are also investigated. Results show that the shear strength parameters obtained from traditional probabilistic back analyses neglecting slip surface uncertainty significantly deviate from actual values, and are greatly affected by prior mean of shear strength parameters. The proposed method performs better than traditional method and is less affected by the prior distributions of shear strength parameters, and the smaller the measurement error of slip surface, the higher the Bayesian back analysis accuracy. A practical landslide is applied to further verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper describes the recent devastating landslide of Kotrupi, Himachal Pradesh in India which had claimed many human lives and properties along its course on 13 August 2017. This event was the third reactivation of the slide as per data available. The study for this landslide involves a preliminary investigation of the site and comparison of pre- and post-event slope stability analysis. Other than rainfall, the combined effect of differential weathering rate of the debris and soil layers, low material strength, and the presence of a fault zone was found to be the primary cause of instability. The analysis was carried out with the geotechnical investigation and numerical modeling with the help of finite element model-based Phase 2 simulator. The significant findings of this paper include numerical simulation of pre- and post-event slide as stated under unsaturated and saturated condition. The study finds a low factor of safety of the present slope. The unstable condition of the slope may trigger another event of the same intensity shortly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owing to the heavy rainfall, a landslide occurred at the Anqian Iron mine, at 18:00(UTC + 8) on November 24, 2019, in China. The landslide was about 3.0 × 104 m3 and caused damage to the road of transporting waste materials. Failure characteristics and the mechanism of this landslide were analyzed in this study. The landslide area was divided into three parts: the rear tension cracking area, the middle sliding deformation area, and the front colluvium area. A contact-free measuring technique using the new ShapeMetrix3D system was applied and 204 joints were analyzed based on equal-angle stereographic projection. Thus, a conceptual model of the mechanism of the landslide was constructed and the formation process of the landslide was divided into three stages: the first shearing and dislocation stage; the second sliding, front bulging, and rear tractive cracking stage; and the third local rock mass collapse and colluvium depositing stage. Numerical modeling was performed to discover the landslide mechanism by progressively reducing the shear strength of rock mass. The results showed that the original slope was stable, whereas heavy rainfall triggered the landslide, and the predicted failure surface matched closely the field investigations. The factor of safety obtained by real three-dimensional analyses was slightly higher than that obtained by plane problem analyses, and the difference was attributed to the three-dimensional effect of the landslide. This paper also presents the results obtained from the parametric analysis in order to understand the impact of shear strength parameters on the overall stability of the slope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adjacent debris flows may interact in many ways: two or more concurrent debris flows may merge; one debris flow can run out over an existing debris flow fan. Such interactions may cause debris flow properties to change in the mixing process as well as more severe adverse effects than those caused by a single debris flow. This paper aims to investigate the interactions among channelized debris flows originated from adjacent catchments. Both concurrent and successive debris flows are considered. If several debris flows originate from different locations concurrently and merge, the volumetric sediment concentration (i.e., the ratio of the volume of solid material to the total volume of debris flow), C , is a good index to capture the mixing process of these debris flows. The change in C reflects where mixing occurs and the mixing degree. The debris flow properties (e.g., yield stress and dynamic viscosity) evolve in the mixing process and can be captured by the change in C . The debris flow with a larger volume dominates the mixing process, and the properties of the mixed debris flow are more similar to those of the larger debris flow. The inundated areas and runout distances of successive debris flows are smaller than those of concurrent debris flows of the same total volume due to the smaller scales of the individual events and blockage by the earlier debris flows. However, the deposit depth in the interacting part of the debris flow fans of successive debris flows can be much larger than that of concurrent debris flows, leading to more destructive cascading hazards (e.g., the formation of debris barrier lakes). The sequence of successive debris flows not only significantly influences the runout characteristics of the debris flows but also substantially affects the cascading hazards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents a case study of a landslide event, accidentally triggered by an unexpected and extraordinary infiltration in an otherwise stable slope. The work aims at modelling the slope failure mechanism with a simplified two-dimensional framework based on the formation of a perched water table. The landslide occurred in Val Venosta/Vinschgau Valley, in Northern Italy, in April 2010 and produced catastrophic consequences. It took place on a hillside with average slope angle 36° and affected an area of about 200 m2; the slip surface was located approximately 1.0 m below the slope profile, in the uppermost layers of a predominantly coarse, well-graded soil. A series of numerical simulations were performed to back-analyse the event, using a commercial computer program. The artificial water infiltration and water content evolution were modelled with a two-dimensional finite element model (FE) of the unsaturated/saturated domain with appropriate infiltration boundary conditions. The slope stability analyses were conducted with a classic limit equilibrium method (LE) and were performed at different time instants during the infiltration process. The soil-water retention curves and conductivity functions were defined according to the van Genuchten-Mualem model. The combined FE and LE simulations showed the gradual formation of a perched water table, whose associated localized pore pressure distribution resulted in the loss of the suction stabilizing effect and thus in the reduction of the safety factor. Although supported by basic soil mechanical and hydraulic characterization, the numerical simulations allowed to perform a back-analysis which effectively captured the timing of the event and the location and depth of the slip surface along the slope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the results of an experimental, as well as theoretical, analysis of a landslide in a clay slope at the margin of a small town of Southern Italy, whose reactivation of 1998 caused severe damages to some structures. To protect the upslope urban area, an anchored diaphragm wall and a drainage system were constructed in 2001. In the meantime, in order to understand the processes which caused the reactivation, a Department of the Basilicata Administrative Region provided financial support to a geotechnical investigation. Laboratory tests on undisturbed and reconstituted specimens, in situ pore pressure and deep displacement measurements were carried out. Both experimental and theoretical in situ water content (and porosity) profiles were determined. Theoretical analyses of pore pressure distribution and stability analyses were carried out. The influence of the drainage system on the slope safety factor was evaluated. Experimental and theoretical data suggest that a first time process occurred in the lower part of the landslide system. The upper part moved on pre-existing surfaces on which an average shear strength close to the residual strength was available. Noticeable water content increase was found around some of these surfaces. Erosion at the toe of the landslide was the probable cause of reactivation. The analysis of the drain system effectiveness suggests that drainage has not significantly influenced pore pressures on the considered slip surfaces yet, mainly because of the very low permeability of the clay. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the stability of an ancient landslide during the first impounding of a nearby reservoir is investigated through the analyses of the shear strength reduction behavior of slip zone soil. In view of the experimental observations, an empirical strain-dependent soil model is established and is then incorporated in finite element analyses. The numerical analysis results show that the failing sections progressively develop due to the soil strength declines from peak toward residual, and the shear zone propagates within the front slope. It is demonstrated in the numerical results that the toe weighting measure has a significant effect on restraining the shear displacements of the soils and preventing the progressive failure of the landslide. The field observations further confirmed the stability condition of the reinforced landslide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A case study of a debris slide (estimated volume of about 35,000 m) is described in this paper. This slide occurred in April 2009 in the North Western Italian Alps (Aosta valley) and damaged the SR25 road along the Valgrisenche valley. Ground investigations started with severe safety and logistic issues being posed. Given the need to open as soon as possible the road, the design of the landslide stabilization works was carried out using a 'design as you go' approach. The stabilization measures were conceived to be flexible in order to allow for changes and integration during construction, in line with the progressive refinement of the geological-geotechnical slope model being developed. Back analysis by means of the limit equilibrium method (LEM) and the finite element method (FEM) was used. Groundwater level rise following heavy rainfall and spring snow melting was found to be the main cause of the debris slide. The stabilization works were designed by using both the LEM and FEM methods. The stability conditions of the engineered slope were assessed based on the available performance monitoring data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some properties of landslide soils are generally recognized as inherently spatially variable because of the heterogeneity of natural geological deposits. Fluctuations in water levels of the Three Gorges Reservoir cause the depth of the groundwater table at landslide toes to change, resulting in fluctuations in the soil water content and significant soil degradation. The spatial variability and temporal weakening of soil properties should be incorporated into the landslide stability analysis. More importantly, rational deformation prediction and stability analysis of landslide numerical models require an advanced soil constitutive model. Herein, taking the Tangjiao landslide as a case study, the statistical characteristics of shear strength parameters were studied based on valuable soil test data. Then, the spatial variability of these parameters was modeled as a random field for the sliding mass. A hypoplastic constitutive model for clay was used to simulate the landslide deformation over 6 years caused by precipitation and changes in the reservoir water level. In addition, soil degradation induced by the fluctuating groundwater level was accounted for in key model parameters on the basis of experimental results. Eventually, the non-intrusive random finite element method was used to compute the landslide deformation and stability for the random field model. Landslide simulation of the deterministic model ignoring the spatial variation of soil parameters was also performed. Simulation results indicate that the difference in the landslide safety factor between the deterministic and random field models is up to 0.14 for the leading edge and up to 0.12 for the trailing edge. Random field models predict greater deformation and less stability than the deterministic model, suggesting that they are more conservative in this specific case. This research can serve as a useful reference for probabilistic stability analyses of riverside landslides considering soil spatial and temporal variability, which may be quantified more precisely in future research based on multi-source data inversion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seismic slope stability analysis at regional scale (e.g., landslide hazard mapping, infrastructure slope management) is essential in areas that are susceptible to earthquake. Analytical infinite slope model is well suited and widely used for regional analyses which involve hundreds and thousands of slopes. Use of infinite slope model implicitly assumes shallow translational failure mechanism. However, earthquake can also cause deep rotational failure, which is more destructive and should also be considered. This study aims to develop closed-form solutions that can be efficiently used for seismic slope stability analysis at regional scale considering deep rotational failure mechanism. The existing research is critically reviewed first, and their shortcomings are identified. In contrast to the conventional "two-step" approach, a more efficient and versatile "one-step" approach is proposed in this study. The "one-step" approach can be used to calculate factor of safety for pseudo-static analysis and yield coefficient for displacement-based seismic analysis. To consider the effects of uncertainty from soil properties and seismic loading, the "one-step" approach is further extended for probabilistic analysis and application is demonstrated through a case study. The efficiency and versatility of the proposed "one-step" approach make it well suited for regional seismic slope stability analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landslides triggered by moderate to major earthquakes are a recognized seismic hazard. Arias Intensity ( I) is a key intensity measure of the ground motion, but significant duration is widely used to define strong motion duration. We calculate Newmark's displacements using earthquake records bracketing a broad range of Arias Intensity and significant duration employing Newmark's rigid block method and a number of yield accelerations. Total landslide displacement increases with the increase in the energy content of the ground motion ( I) above a threshold. Such threshold may be expressed as a function of yield acceleration of the slope regardless of the ground motion characteristics. Newmark displacement decreases with increasing duration for earthquakes with similar energy content. The wide scatter in the results converges when using formal dimensional analysis. Self-similar symmetry may facilitate the assessment of the performance of slopes during earthquakes. The mathematical framework for probabilistic determination of landslides displacement may be a useful aid to estimate the likelihood of landslide hazards provided that the geotechnical properties of the slopes are known. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Centrifuge model tests on slopes subject to shaking and rainfall have been performed to examine the response of slopes with shaking-induced cracks to subsequent rainfall and evaluate the corresponding landslide-triggering mechanisms. The failure pattern of the slope subject to shaking and then rainfall was found different from that of the slope subject to only rainfall. When shaking caused cracks on the slope shoulder and rupture line below, the mobilized soil slid along the slip surface that extended to the rupture line, the main crack became the crown of the undisturbed ground once the slope was subject to a subsequent rain event, and the progression of the landslide was related to the rainfall intensity. During the landslide caused by light rainfall, the main scarp kept exposing itself in the vertically downward direction while the ground behind the main crack in the crack-containing slope remained undisturbed. The detrimental effect of cracks on soil displacement was more evident when the slope was exposed to heavy post-shaking rainfall, resulting in a rapid and massive landslide. Additionally, the volume of displaced material of the landslide, the main scarp area on the upper edge, and the zone of accumulation were larger in the crack-containing slope subject to heavy rainfall, in comparison with those in the crack-free slope. The deformation pattern of slopes with shaking-induced cracks during rainfall was closely related to rainfall intensity and the factor of safety provided a preliminary estimation of slope stability during rainfall. Moreover, even when subjected to the same rainfall, the slopes with antecedent shaking-induced cracks displayed different levels of deformation. The slope that experienced larger shaking had greater deformation under the following rainfall, and the shaking-induced slope deformation also controlled the slip surface location. Finally, the velocity of rainfall-induced landslide could be greatly influenced by the prior shaking event alone. Despite being under light rainfall, the slope that has encountered intense previous shaking exhibited an instant landslide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Slope stability is influenced by a number of factors that modify the resisting/acting force ratio control landslide initiation and movement velocity. Among these, artificial vibrations have been identified as an important degrading factor for soil strength, but it is not fully clear if they can trigger or modulate movements of clay landslides. To contribute to a better understanding of the potential effect of vibrations on landslide movement, also in terms of boundary conditions, we analyzed monitoring data acquired at the toe of the Pietrafitta landslide in southern Italy. This landslide adjoins the SS87 national road that suffered periodic closure due to landslide activity and in April 2016 operates daytime only for risk mitigation purpose. This condition promoted a better identification of a potential cause-effect relation between traffic vibration and landslide movement. Results from data analysis and landslide modeling suggest that in condition of incipient movement, artificial vibrations, also of limited amplitude, are able to directly initiate clay landslide movement that due to the viscous nature of the involved material exhibit a specific displacement pattern that is not consistent with a sliding block model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landslides with a shallow and complex bedrock layer, where bedrock topography affects the stability of the slide, are a widespread phenomenon. The current methods for evaluating such landslides include conventional in situ methods and array-based geophysical methods. However, these methods are not capable of characterizing the complete spatial extent of the bedrock layer cost-effectively and are difficult to conduct for steep slopes. Therefore, in this study, microtremor horizontal to vertical spectral ratio (MHVSR) is proposed as an effective tool when used in conjunction with other methods to improve our understanding of the landslide. In this study, the method is used to make a tight grid of MHVSR measurements within the landslide. Using this method, a 3D image of bedrock topography can be created over a larger spatial extent to reveal the potential critical landslide zones. This method is employed for two active landslides that have recently experienced considerable movements. Using the MHVSR, several bowl-shaped features were detected in the bedrock layer, which were not detected using conventional invasive in situ methods. These features play a key role in landslide behavior as they can trap water and create a fully saturated soft zone within the critical slide. Missing such key features in the geologic model of the landslide can lead to errors in the slope stability models and cost overruns in rehabilitation efforts. The grid pattern MHVSR method used in this study offers a simple, rapid, and cost-effective tool for landslide site characterization for sites with shallow and complex bedrock topography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The analysis of slope stability over large areas is a demanding task for several reasons, such as the need for extensive datasets, the uncertainty of collected data, the difficulty of accounting for site-specific factors, and the considerable computation time required due to the size of investigated areas, which can pose major barriers, particularly in civil protection contexts where rapid analysis and forecasts are essential. However, as the identification of zones of higher failure probability is very useful for stakeholders and decision-makers, the scientific community has attempted to improve capabilities to provide physically based assessments. This study combined a transient seepage analysis of an unsaturated-saturated condition with an infinite slope stability model and probabilistic analysis through the use of a high-computing capacity parallelized platform. Both short- and long-term analyses were performed for a study area, and roles of evapotranspiration, vegetation interception, and the root increment of soil strength were considered. A model was first calibrated based on hourly rainfall data recorded over a 4-day event (December 14–17, 1999) causing destructive landslides to compare the results of model simulations to actual landslide events. Then, the calibrated model was applied for a long-term simulation where daily rainfall data recorded over a 4-year period (January 1, 2005–December 31, 2008) were considered to study the behavior of the area in response to a long period of rainfall. The calibration shows that the model can correctly identify higher failure probability within the time range of the observed landslides as well as the extents and locations of zones computed as the most prone ones. The long-term analysis allowed for the identification of a number of days (9) when the slope factor of safety was lower than 1.2 over a significant number of cells. In all of these cases, zones approaching slope instability were concentrated in specific sectors and catchments of the study area. In addition, some subbasins were found to be the most recurrently prone to possible slope instability. Interestingly, the application of the adopted methodology provided clear indications of both weekly and seasonal fluctuations of overall slope stability conditions. Limitations of the present study and future developments are finally discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On May 12, 2019, a landslide occurred near a construction site of a reservoir dam along the left bank of the Wulong River, Qinghai Province, China. Video footage showed that the entire failure process of the landslide lasted for 15 min. Although an excavator that parked on the foundation pit was buried and the Wulong River was blocked, this landslide did not cause any casualties. Based on field investigations, 3D laser scanning, unmanned aerial vehicle observations, and borehole surveys, this study aims to reveal the cause and initiation mechanisms of the landslide. The landslide developed on a typical dip slope with thick-bedded conglomerates intercalated with a few mudstone layers. The slide mass mainly consisted of conglomerates with a dip angle varying from 20 to 40°, failing along bedding plane contacts with the underlying muddy intercalation. Numerous tension cracks had developed in the upper part of the slope due to stress relaxation during the process of bank slope evolution associated with rapid river incision. These cracks damaged the integrity of the rock mass and promoted rapid rainfall infiltration. The water infiltrated into the slope and deteriorated the mechanical properties of the rock mass, which resulted in long-term deterioration of the slope stability conditions. In addition, the temperature of Tongren County was below zero for 5 months in a year, hence the freeze–thaw cycle of the water filled in the cracks would have reduced the shear strength further. There were 10 days of continuous rainfall before the landslide occurred, and the cumulative precipitation in 2018 and 2019 was also significantly more than that of previous years. Three primary factors are involved in the landslide event: (1) thick-bedded conglomerates intercalated with a few mudstone layers with contrasts in strength, (2) development of numerous relaxation cracks, and (3) long-term rainfall accumulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Permafrost and glaciers are being degraded by the warming effects of climate change. The impact that this degradation has on slope stability in mountainous terrain is the subject of ongoing research efforts. The relatively new availability of high-resolution (≤ 10 m) imagery with worldwide coverage and short (≤ 30 days) repeat acquisition times, as well as the emerging field of environmental seismology, presents opportunities for making remote, systematic observations of landslides in cryospheric mountainous terrain. I reviewed the literature and evaluated landslide activity in existing imagery to select five ~ 5000-km2 sites where long-term, systematic observations could take place. The five proposed sites are the northern and eastern flanks of the Northern Patagonia Ice Field, the Western European Alps, the eastern Karakoram Range in the Himalayan Mountains, the Southern Alps of New Zealand, and the Fairweather Range in Southeast Alaska. Systematic observations of landslide occurrence, triggers, size, and travel distance at these sites, especially if coupled with observations from in situ instrumental monitoring, could lead to a better understanding of changes in slope stability induced by climate change. The suggested sites are not meant to be absolute and unalterable. Rather, they are intended as a starting point and discussion starter for new work in this expanding landslide research frontier. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physically based approaches for the regional assessment of slope stability using digital elevation model (DEM) topography usually consist of one-dimensional (1D) descriptions and often include more simplifying assumptions than realistic, three-dimensional (3D) analyses. We investigated a new application of the well-known, publicly available software TRIGRS (Transient Rainfall Infiltration and Grid-Based Regional Slope-Stability Model) in combination with Scoops3D to analyze 3D slope stability throughout a digital landscape in a time-dependent fashion, typically not implemented in three-dimensional models. TRIGRS simulated the dynamic hydraulic conditions within slopes induced by a rainstorm, and Scoops3D used the resulting pore water pressure for 3D stability assessment. We applied this approach to the July 2011 landslide event at Mount Umyeon, South Korea, and compared the results with the landslide initiation locations reported for this rainfall event. We described soil depth in the study area by three different simple models. Stability maps, obtained by the 1D (TRIGRS only) and 3D (TRIGRS and Scoops3D) time-dependent approaches, were compared with observations to assess the timing and locations of unstable sites via a synthetic index, previously developed specifically for dealing with point landslide locations. We highlight the performance of the 3D approach versus the 1D method represented by TRIGRS alone, as well as the consistency of the time dependence of the results obtained using the combined approach with the observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the USA, climate change is expected to have an adverse impact on slope stability in Alaska. However, to date, there has been limited work done in Alaska to assess if changes in slope stability are occurring. To address this issue, we used 30-m Landsat imagery acquired from 1984 to 2016 to establish an inventory of 24 rock avalanches in a 5000-km2 area of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve in southeast Alaska. A search of available earthquake catalogs revealed that none of the avalanches were triggered by earthquakes. Analyses of rock-avalanche magnitude, mobility, and frequency reveal a cluster of large (areas ranging from 5.5 to 22.2 km2), highly mobile (height/length < 0.3) rock avalanches that occurred from June 2012 through June 2016 (near the end of the 33-year period of record). These rock avalanches began about 2  years after the long-term trend in mean annual maximum air temperature may have exceeded 0 °C. Possibly more important, most of these rock avalanches occurred during a multiple-year period of record-breaking warm winter and spring air temperatures. These observations suggested to us that rock avalanches in the study area may be becoming larger because of rock-permafrost degradation. However, other factors, such as accumulating elastic strain, glacial thinning, and increased precipitation, may also play an important role in preconditioning slopes for failure during periods of warm temperatures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Huangtupo riverside slope, which extends an area of 1.35 × 10 m and has a total volume of 6.934 × 10 m, is one of the most noted large-scale landslides with great concern about the safety of immigrants in the Three Gorges reservoir area of China. During the normal operation, the reservoir water level fluctuates periodically. Water level fluctuation will soften the strength of the geologic materials on the banks, induce underground water fluctuation, and in turn affect the slope stability. On the basis of the thorough engineering geological survey, the analysis of engineering geological conditions and deformation mechanism is conducted primarily. Then, the Huangtupo landslide is divided into four minor landslides, all of which have typical three-dimensional characteristics. To these landslides, a three-dimensional rigorous limit equilibrium method is proposed, which can accommodate failure surfaces of any shape, and satisfies all the equilibrium conditions. In terms of the strength parameters of geologic materials, the stability evolution of the four minor landslides at the Huangtupo landslide under periodical water level fluctuation is investigated in detail. From the results, the 3D safety factors turned out to be somewhat bigger than the 2D results even though they displayed the same trends. The differences between 2D and 3D results are about 2.92-6.11 %. The maximum reduction in safety factors with the rapid down of water level is 0.11. It is suggested that the safety margin of the two minor landslides near the riverside is insufficient and might become instable under periodical water level fluctuation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On 24 January 2012, a fatal landslide with an estimated volume of 3 Mm hit villagers and infrastructure in the Tagali Valley, Southern Highlands Province, Papua New Guinea (PNG). Although a moderate event by PNG standards, the associated human casualties and infrastructure destruction give a human as well as a scientific need to review the potential causes for the event. PNG experiences numerous landslides annually, most of which are trigged either by rainfall events or seismic activity. Here, we review the short-term rainfall patterns leading up to the slope failure at Tumbi Quarry and compare the rainfall accumulations obtained over durations of 30, 60 and 90 days prior to the landslide, with comparable rainfall accumulations obtained for other failures observed in PNG over a 12-year period. Additionally, a review of long-term rainfall over a period of 6 months prior to the failure is completed as well as an assessment of seismic activity. Based on our analysis, we believe a seismic trigger to be very unlikely, while the increase in rainfall in the 2 weeks prior to the failure in conjunction with a high-intensity rainfall event at the end of October 2011 could have had a greater influence in enhancing rather than restraining slope failure. This, in addition to natural denudational processes, geological structure and the anthropogenic activity in the vicinity of the landslide, could all have served to affect slope stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]