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Landslide failure time prediction is considered a challenging issue in landslide research. A significant goal of landslide research is to provide scientific and accurate prediction methods. In this paper, the short-term forecasting of landslides (STFL) model is proposed by analyzing landslide deformation characteristics in a known evolution process. The landslides on the southern slope of the West open pit mine (SSWOPM) in Liaoning province, northeast China, and Huangci in Gansu province, northwest China, were selected as the study cases. After pre-processing, which include eliminating abnormal data (t test), adding missing data (cubic spline interpolation), and smoothing noisy data (Savitzky–Golay filters), the displacement data are assembled to serve as the model's input parameters. The parameters of STFL can be obtained through the Levenberg–Marquardt (LM) algorithm. Using the forecasting criterion, the time of failure of landslides can be predicted and determined. Forecasting results provide evidence that the STFL model can achieve an accurate prediction of landslide displacement (correlation coefficient R2 > 0.99). The forecasting results of the SSWOPM and Huangci landslides indicate that the forecasting failure time of the STFL model is March 10, 2014 and January 31, 1995, respectively, which are near the actual failure time compared with those obtained using the Verhulst model. This finding indicates that the new method has excellent reliability and accuracy in landslide prediction and a robust description of the landslide movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An integrated investigation of possible factors responsible for reoccurring landslide at Agbona Hill of Okemesi, in a typical Basement Complex terrain of southwestern Nigeria is presented in this paper. The landslide which rises to about 18.62 m at the point of failure, strikes N-S direction, and measured about 8.54 m in width and extends down the slope in length of about 265 m. The landslide which occurred immediately to the north of residential area resulted into damages of buildings and the road along the path of the mass movement. The investigation which involved resistivity imaging along four traverses with length varying between 180 and 210 m in the N-S direction was complemented with eight vertical electrical soundings and geotechnical analysis of soils samples at ten selected points. The inferred lithological depth sections from electrical properties revealed the nature of both the upper and lower sections of the landslide with thin topsoil, having resistivity and thickness values ranging from 104 to 871 Ω-m and 0.8–1.5 m, respectively, observed to be characterized by loose sand to clayey sand and quartzite rubbles. The internal structures also revealed underlying layer classified into fairly to poorly weathered bedrock or indurated quartzite rocks. The resistivity ranges from 297 to 4381 Ω-m and the thicknesses varying from 1.3 to 9.9 m. Both sections exhibited intermediate to steep internal slope with a series of fracturing observed over the outcropped quartzite ridge that extends deeply into these layers. The fractures serve as conduit for the groundwater to flow to the surface, thereby accelerating the weathering of the rock. The results of geotechnical study showed that the upper segment of the landslide comprise of highly weathered materials characterised by sandy clay or silt materials with plasticity index of the fines indicating slight medium plasticity, thereby serving as a trigger to the landslide under prolonged and torrential rainfall arising from the movement in the soils by the flow of groundwater which seeps to the surface through the fractures in the rock mass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landslides are one of the devastating geohazards that cause extensive socio-economic and environmental damages on local, regional, and global scales. Previous studies based on digital media sources have attracted attention to the high fatal landslide rate in Turkey, at a continental or global scale; however, the preparation of a comprehensive and long-term database for Turkey has been neglected until today. To examine this data gap, we present a new database of fatal landslide events resulting in fatalities from 1929 to 2019, which has been compiled using Turkish national and local printed and digital media reports, academic papers, disaster, and city annual reports. The fatal database of Turkey (FATALDOT) shows that, in total, 1343 people were killed in 389 fatal landslide events. The spatiotemporal distribution of the fatal landslides highlighted increasing trends with reference to two distinct hotspot zones throughout the Eastern Black Sea and Marmara Region, mostly around Istanbul megacity. Our results show that there has been a significant uniformity between the number of fatalities and fatal landslides triggered by anthropogenic and natural factors over the past decade, indicating an increasing dominance of human activities in fatality rates. Our findings also, for the first time, remarked the potential signatures of the economic crisis and political steadiness on fatal landslide trends. Nevertheless, we conclude that the increasing rate of anthropogenic disturbances in urban and mountainous areas, together with regional variances in topography and climatic setting, is essential in governing the pattern of fatal landslides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Unsaturated shallow soil deposits may be affected by either superficial soil erosion or shallow landslides in adjacent or overlapping source areas and in different seasons when a different soil suction exists. The triggering analysis of both these processes is a relevant issue for the hazard analysis while the literature mostly provides specific approaches for erosion or for landslides. The paper proposes a large-area analysis for a case study of Southern Italy, consisting of unsaturated shallow deposits of loose pyroclastic (air-fall) volcanic soils that have been repeatedly affected by erosion and landslides in special seasons. For a past catastrophic event, the simulated source areas of shallow landslides are smaller than those observed in the field while the simulated eroded areas with thickness greater than 5 cm are comparable with the in-situ evidences, if the analysis takes into account high rainfall intensity and a spatially variable soil cover use. More in general, the results of the paper are consistent with the previous literature and also provide a methodological contribution about the application of distinct tools over large area. The added value is that the paper shows how the combination of distinct large-area analyses may help with understanding the dominant slope instability mechanisms. Only once this goal is fully achieved, can specific physically-based analyses be confidently performed at detailed scales and for smaller specific areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on the investigation of the old landslide body on which the necropolis of Abakainon, an Italian archaeological site, was built about 2400 years ago. This site is located in a geologically complex area of northeastern Sicily, where active tectonics has strongly modified the morphological landscape, as testified by the meandering path of watercourses, widespread presence of paleosurfaces, and deviations of crest line. Previous studies have hypothesized that the necropolis, suddenly destroyed by a catastrophic event in historical times, could have been built on an old landslide body. This represents the starting point of this paper, focused on geomorphological analysis and geophysical surveys, which allowed discovering peculiar elements in support of the landslide theory. In particular, the elaboration of a Digital Terrain Model allowed locating the main morphostructural elements, thus highlighting how the occurrence of landslides in the study area is strongly linked to recent tectonics. Passive seismic surveys, carried out through the acquisition of ambient noise, allowed detecting the presence of impedance contrasts, which were associated to peculiar features, such as the landslide body itself. Moreover, local strong directional effects testify the presence of faults, affecting even the necropolis area. Such results, further corroborated by the outcomes of an electrical resistivity survey, lay the foundations for interesting consideration on the possible cause of the destruction of this site, probably related to the occurrence of a historical earthquake in the first century AD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rainfall-induced landslide masses often change into disastrous debris flows and damage large areas in Nepal's mountainous region. The area covered by debris flow inundation or debris flow runout is a most essential component for landslide hazard assessments leading to development of land use plans. However, there is presently no tool that can allow to assess and predict debris flow runout from the initial landslide on the watershed scale in Nepal. In this paper, a method and simulation tool are developed for the assessment and prediction of debris flow runout in Kulekhani Watershed, Nepal. The Flow-R model with user-defined landslide-susceptible areas was chosen for debris flow runout analysis. The Flow-R model with various algorithms has the capability to analyze debris flow inundation with limited input information. Two recent debris flow events are taken as case studies to identify the appropriate algorithms for runout analysis of the study area. After comparison of the observed and simulated results for debris flow runout, the algorithms proposed by Holmgren (Hydrol Process 8:327–334, 1994) (modified) are found suitable for the study watershed. These algorithms are employed for debris flow inundation analysis in the study area with pre-defined landslide sources plus debris flow inundation map in GIS environment. The results obtained from this modeling for the debris flow area induced by 540 mm of rainfall in 24 h period was 2.68% of the watershed, which is comparable to previously observed debris flow area in the study watershed. The findings of this research and GIS simulation tool developed will enable the optimization of planning and investment for land development in the studied region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Giant landslides can cause significant damage to their dynamic runout processes. Understanding the mechanics of the runout process is essential for landslide risk assessment and mitigation design. This paper investigates the runout process of the 1.16 × 109 m3 giant Daguangbao landslide triggered by the 2008 Ms 8.0 Wenchuan earthquake. The Daguangbao landslide is a typical bedding-plane slide and the properties of basal sliding surface play a key role in the runout behaviors of the landslide. The material point method (MPM) is adopted as a numerical tool of the simulations. A thermal-based velocity-weakening friction law is used to simulate the contact between the sliding body and the basal sliding surface. A strain-softening constitutive model is used to evaluate the damages inside the landslide body and their effects on the runout behaviors of the landslide. Numerical results reveal that landslide mass slides along the bedding-plane as a whole body initially and then disintegrates during the runout process. The calculated duration of sliding is 64 s and the maximum velocity reaches 60 m/s. The friction coefficient of the slip surface decreases sharply as the landslide body starts to move, and a steady-state friction coefficient μ ≈ 0.06 is reached when the velocity exceeds approximately 20 m/s. Friction degradation of the slip surface shows a sensible influence on the final runout distance and the depth of the deposit zone. The dynamic fragmentation of the landslide body, the final runout distance, and deposition topography are also significantly affected by material softening. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As increased pore pressure due to rainwater infiltration is the primary triggering factor for landslides, rainfall is normally established as the first condition that allows definition of the predictability of their occurrence over the short term for a determined location. It is therefore common to propose landslide occurrence predictions based on awareness of accumulated background rainfall from historic data analysis. This paper proposes that landslide occurrence be predicted by quantitatively estimating their probabilities based on accumulated rainfall during a pair of time frames (e.g., 24 and 72 h) prior to the event, with selection determined by statistical dependence readings. This method was applied to the Quitandinha river basin region in the municipality of Petrópolis, Brazil, using background data from 2003 to 2009. It was observed that landslide occurrence presented the highest relevance level with the two accumulated rainfall periods of 24 and 96 h, and it was possible to estimate the probability of occurrence of at least one, three, or five landslides depending on the accumulated rainfall rates during these time frames. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landslides are mainly triggered by decrease in the matric suction with deepening the wetting band by rainfall infiltrations. This paper reports rainfall-induced landslides in partially saturated soil slopes through a field study. A comprehensive analysis on Umyeonsan (Mt.) landslides in 2011 was highlighted. The incident involves the collapse of unsaturated soil slopes under extreme-rainfall event. Fundamental studies on the mechanism and the cause of landslides were carried out. A number of technical findings are of interest, including the failure mechanism of a depth of soil and effect of groundwater flow, the downward movement of wetting band and the increase of groundwater level. Based on this, an integrated analysis methodology for a rainfall-induced landslide is proposed in this paper that incorporates the field matric suction for obtaining hydraulic parameters of unsaturated soil. The field matric suction is shown to govern the rate of change in the water infiltration for the landslide analysis with respect to an antecedent rainfall. Special attention was given to a one-dimensional infiltration model to determine the wetting band depth in the absence of the field matric suction. The results indicate that landslide activities were primarily dependent on rainfall infiltration, soil properties, slope geometries, vegetation, and groundwater table positions. The proposed methodology has clearly demonstrated both shallow and deep-seated landslides and shows good agreement with the results of landslide investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The recent assessment of the Mitchell Creek Landslide (MCL) in northern British Columbia is a good case history of engineering geomorphological analysis of a large landslide. It was completed using historic aerial photographs, with approximately 20-year time intervals dating back to the mid-twentieth century and field investigations completed between 2008 and 2014. The large bedrock slide initiated between 1956 and 1972 and continues to experience ongoing annual movements. Significant glacial downwasting and retreat has been observed in the photographic record, and it is hypothesized that alpine glaciation has contributed to development of the MCL. This paper documents four aspects of the engineering geomorphological assessment completed at the MCL: (i) topographic evolution, (ii) slope morphology, (iii) deformation features, and (iv) displacement behavior. Four distinct geomorphic zones have been defined at the MCL based on these analyses, controlled by different failure mechanisms. The extents of these zones have changed little over the documented history of the landslide, and rates of movement estimated from aerial photography have been consistent over the last 60 years. Retreat of the Mitchell Valley Glacier appears to have played an important role in landslide initiation, as the ice mass receded the kinematic freedom of the slope increased. This study of the initiation and development of the MCL demonstrates the capabilities of a multi-faceted approach to engineering geomorphology. The combination of historical aerial photographs with digital photogrammetric modeling and point cloud analysis techniques, and geomorphological mapping, allows for development of a robust understanding of landslide behavior. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a novel approach to continuously monitor very slow-moving translational landslides in mountainous terrain using conventional and experimental differential global navigation satellite system (d-GNSS) technologies. A key research question addressed is whether displacement trends captured by a radio-frequency "mobile" d-GNSS network compare with the spatial and temporal patterns in activity indicated by satellite interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) photogrammetry. Field testing undertaken at Ripley Landslide, near Ashcroft in south-central British Columbia, Canada, demonstrates the applicability of new geospatial technologies to monitoring ground control points (GCPs) and railway infrastructure on a landslide with small and slow annual displacements (<10 cm/yr). Each technique records increased landslide activity and ground displacement in late winter and early spring. During this interval, river and groundwater levels are at their lowest levels, while ground saturation rapidly increases in response to the thawing of surficial earth materials, and the infiltration of snowmelt and runoff occurs by way of deep-penetrating tension cracks at the head scarp and across the main slide body. Research over the last decade provides vital information for government agencies, national railway companies, and other stakeholders to understand geohazard risk, predict landslide movement, improve the safety, security, and resilience of Canada's transportation infrastructure; and reduce risks to the economy, environment, natural resources, and public safety. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper focuses on the evaluation of temporal and spatial propagations of impulse waves using 3D numerical simulation-based models for a potential landslide area in the Tersun Dam reservoir, Northeast Turkey. The topographical model was created using Stereo Lithography files, and a drift-flux model was used to simulate the landslides. The wave generation was simulated using the Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes equations. The Drift-Flux approach was selected, and a renormalization group-based k-ε turbulence model was used to create a fluid–solid coupled model. The results show that a 16.5-m impulse wave is created as a result of sliding material hitting the water at a velocity of 16.4 m/s. The wave will reach the opposite shore in 27.4 s, and the run-up height will reach up to 48.8 m. As the wave, with an average velocity of 11.6 m/s in the reservoir, propagates toward the dam body, its height will decrease, and a 3.7-m-high wave will hit the dam in 155 s. A validation analysis performed using empirical equations and laboratory model tests indicates small differences in the results. The main reason for these differences is that the evaluation of wave properties is independent of the type of mass movement in empirical methods. A proper stability analysis is required to have a better estimation of the volume and the velocity of the sliding mass. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a strong earthquake, not only a large number of coseismic landslides are triggered, but relaxation and cracks in the rocks and soils are induced, which make these rocks and soils vulnerable to instability during subsequent rainfall; thus, strong earthquakes always have long-term effects on landslides. The geo-hazards along the Zhaotong-Qiaojia road in the 2014 Ludian earthquake (Ms 6.5) of Yunnan Province, China, were investigated, and the Ganjiazhai giant landslide was chosen as a case study. First, using the limit equilibrium analysis and Newmark method, the critical seismic intensity of the landslide before the earthquake was evaluated. Secondly, the dynamic failure process of the landslide under the measured ground motion was simulated with the discontinuous deformation analysis method. Lastly, based on stress–seepage coupling analysis and precipitation data from Ludian meteorological station, the stability of the landslide during subsequent rainfall after the earthquake was predicted. The results show that the critical seismic intensity was within degrees VIII–IX, which is consistent with the results of the earthquake damage investigation. The dynamic failure process can be divided into four stages, and four scarps formed; the potential sliding zones during the subsequent rainfall were at the first scarp and the fourth scarp, and their critical rainfall amounts were 35–40 mm and 55–60 mm, respectively. In this paper, failure process simulation and stability prediction of the landslide before, during, and after the strong earthquake are presented, which provide analysis methods for the dynamic stability of landslides in the meizoseismal area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an analysis of the Hooskanaden Landslide, an earthflow, which experienced a dramatic surge event beginning on February 24, 2019, closing US Highway 101 near mile point 343.5 for nearly 2 weeks. This ~ 1 km long surge event resulted in horizontal displacements of up to 45 m and uplift of 6 m at the toe located on a gravel beach adjacent to the Pacific Ocean. The Hooskanaden Landslide, likely active since the eighteenth century, exhibits regular activity with a recurrence interval of major surge events of approximately every 20 years, transitioning from slow to relatively rapid velocities. During the 2019 event, maximum displacement rates of approximately 60 cm/h were observed, slowly decreasing to 15 cm/h for a sustained period of approximately 2 weeks before the eventual return to baseline conditions (< 0.02 cm/h). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Loess Plateau of China is the most concentrated and largest loess area on Earth. Shanxi Province lies in the eastern margin of the Loess Plateau and is one of the regions with the worst serious soil erosion and most fragile ecological environment in the world. On March 15, 2019, a landslide hit Xiangning County in Shanxi Province in northern China and resulted in heavy casualties. This paper mainly gives an introduction about the catastrophe, causes, and related emergency response. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large catastrophic landslide occurred on July 23, 2019, after a continuous heavy rainfall at Jichang (N 26°15′22.99″, E 104°40′6.33″), Shuicheng county, Guizhou province, China. This landslide had a maximum runout distance of 1295 m, a maximum falling height of 477 m between the highest point of the source area and the leading edge, and a maximum speed of 45.5 m/s. The 1.4 million cubic meters of debris instantly buried twenty-one buildings, destroyed six buildings, and resulted in 42 fatalities and 9 people missing. This paper analyzes the extent and mechanisms of initiation and runout distance of the landslide. The landslide occurred in the eluvial and deluvial accumulation of basalt, and its initiation mechanisms were different from the bedrock landslides that are typical of the interbedded soft and hard rocks in Guizhou and basalt landslides in Southwest China. The prolonged heavy rainfall, lush vegetation, and road construction played the roles in landslide initiation. Subsequently, the landslide can be divided into three sliding regions caused by the valley on both sides and the stepped terrain in the middle, and the valley topography enhanced the disaster intensity and reach. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landslides have environmental, social, and economic impact in the Brazilian Atlantic coast (Serra do Mar). In addition to meteorological, geological, and geomorphological settings, mineralogical and pore space heterogeneities in soil covers are considered important characteristics that can influence landslide occurrence. Since soil covers are very clayey, the evaluation of macro- and micromorphological soil features (soil structures, soil materials, and pores) resulted by mass movement during slope instability is difficult. This field of investigation practically does not exist in the Serra do Mar. The objective of this paper is to analyze the soil cover in a toposequence to identify macro- and microscopic soil features resulted from landslide processes, and assess the role of pedogenesis on landslide development. Macro- and micromorphological approaches were used to study the architecture of the soil cover and soil was sampled to determine chemical and mineralogical composition by XRF and XRD. Undisturbed clods were used to determine pore size and pore compartment by mercury porosimetry. It was recognized a brecciated and an undulating parallel-striated fabric. Both features were generated from mass movement and were unclear in the clayey horizons in the bottom of the toposequence. In this level, the occurrence of mottles suggesting short-term soil saturation and the presence of micropores < 1000 nm in soil could be the factors that drive soil movement downslope. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Zongling landslide (Nayong, Guizhou, China) is dominated by a unique karst landscape area with many landslide masses. In this paper, an improved Interferometric Point Target Analysis (IPTA) method is proposed to identify and monitor the Zongling landslide. In this method, the Anderson-Darling test is applied to distributed scatterer (DS) selection, and DS and persistent scatterer (PS) are combined to improve the density of measurement points in vegetation area. Moreover, this method is also characterized by the appropriate combination of differential interferograms produced by a small baseline subsets and the employment of the phase triangulation algorithm to estimate the optimal phase. Combining 105 scenes of C-band Sentinel-1A ascending and descending data acquired during 2014–2018, the method is applied to retrieve time series displacement for the large-scale landslide in Zongling Town. Finally, three accelerating landslides are identified from our result, which is consistent with ALOS PALSAR differential interferometry synthetic aperture radar (DInSAR) results and field investigation. The influencing factors and deformation mechanism of the Zongling landslide are also analysed. Our monitoring results will help the local government to conduct regular inspections and strengthen disaster prevention in mountain areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper is about a large landslide located at Taprang, on the right bank of the Madi River in the west Nepal Himalaya. It attempts to reconstruct the evolution of the landslide from its initial state to the present conditions. Many large landslides involve multiple failure incidents in different times to attain their present size and shape. The Taprang landslide has also been active for more than 75 years and experienced many failure episodes. The slide lies in a very complex geological setting characterized by the presence of Main Central Thrust and some other folds as well as several joint sets and shear zones. It is developed on weathered graphitic schists, highly fractured and jointed quartzites, marbles, gneisses, and a few amphibolites. Landslide mapping revealed that the rocks are deformed and fractured. They have also undergone intense weathering. Laboratory analysis of rock and soil samples collected from the landslide and surrounding area shows that the weathered rocks, joint infillings, and shear zones are rich in clay minerals, especially smectite and montmorillonite having swelling properties. Besides, hydrologic, climatic, and anthropogenic factors operating simultaneously since a long time have also contributed significantly to the enlargement of the slide. The study indicates that the landslide has a high potential of future enlargement towards upper slopes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since lots of underground and slope excavation works were conducted during the urbanization process, an increasing number of sites in ravines around a city have been used to stockpile a large amount of excavated soils. This brings a huge challenge for researchers and managers in the risk evaluation and mitigation of potential dangers of these man-made construction waste landfills. This paper describes a recently large landslide of the construction waste landfill, which occurred at a site of Guangming new district in Shenzhen, China, on December 20, 2015. This catastrophic landslide caused the death of 69 persons and 8 persons are still missing. In this paper, this landslide was numerically simulated and analyzed. In spite of neither high-intensity rainfall nor antecedent rainfall, a slope of this landfill with a relative height of 111 m sided and caused about 2.34 million cubic meters of the soils to travel over a gentle terrain more than 1.2 km. This means that the landslide mobility index (H/L = 0.092) is much lower than a general designed value and the values in most other cases. A depth-integrated continuum method and a MacCormack-TVD finite difference algorithm are adopted, in this paper, to numerically simulate the dynamic process of this large landslide. It is found that a Coulomb friction model with consideration of the pore water pressure effects can well reproduce the main characteristics of the dynamic process of this landslide. Sensitivity analysis has demonstrated that the high pore water pressure in the soils plays a significant role in its mobility and is a key factor to the severity of this landslide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with the full dynamic process of landslides, including the landslide initiation process and the mass movement and accumulation process. This paper presents a new approach combination of the limit analysis and the depth-averaged Savage-Hutter model to simulate the full dynamic process of the landslides triggered by earthquakes. In this procedure, limit analysis is used to find the critical sliding surface. Subsequently, the depth-averaged Savage-Hutter model is used to simulate the mass movement and accumulation based on the critical sliding surface. This approach is illustrated by simulating the full dynamic process of a landslide triggered by earthquake. Simulation results indicate that the position of the sliding surface has a strong effect on the mass movement and accumulation. Finally, results from the simulation of the Daguangbao landslide and the real-world effects of the landslide are compared. The results indicate that the proposed approach is valid and reasonable to predict the full dynamic process of landslides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a case study of the Taipingshan landslide, which was triggered by Typhoon Saola in 2012. Taipingshan villa is one of the most famous scenic locations within the Taipingshan National Forest Recreation Area in northern Taiwan. Since the early 1990s, evidence of recent landslide activity appeared throughout the Taipingshan villa and included features such as tension cracks, ground settlement, and cracking in manmade structures. In response, a series of geological investigations and in-site/laboratory tests were conducted in 2010 to estimate slope stability and predict critical rainfall thresholds (event accumulated rainfall) for landslide activity. Results revealed that the critical rainfall threshold for the Taipingshan National Forest Recreation Area is 1765 mm. In 2012, that threshold was tested when Typhoon Saola brought tremendous rainfall to northern and eastern Taiwan and triggered activity along the main scarp of sliding mass B located near the History Exhibition Hall. According to in situ extensometer readings and on-site precipitation data, the extensometer was severed at an accumulated rainfall 1694 mm. Field monitoring data during the typhoon event are in good agreement with the rainfall threshold. These preliminary results suggest that the threshold may be useful for assessing the rainfall threshold of other landslides and a good reference for establishing early warning systems for landslides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rainfall-triggered landslides have posed significant threats to human lives and property each year in China. This paper proposed a meteorological-geotechnical early warning system GRAPES-LFM (GRAPES: Global and Regional Assimilation and PrEdiction System; LFM: Landslide Forecast Model), basing on the GRAPES model and the landslide predicting model TRIGRS (Transient Rainfall Infiltration and Grid-based Regional Slope-Stability Model) for predicting rainfall-triggered landslides. This integrated system is evaluated in Dehua County, Fujian Province, where typhoon Bilis triggered widespread landslides in July 2006. The GRAPES model runs in 5 km×5 km horizontal resolution, and the initial fields and lateral boundaries are provided by NCEP (National Centers for Environmental Prediction) FNL (Final) Operational Global Analysis data. Quantitative precipitation forecasting products of the GRAPES model are downscaled to 25 m×25 m horizontal resolution by bilinear interpolation to drive the TRIGRS model. Results show that the observed areas locate in the high risk areas, and the GRAPES-LFM model could capture about 74% of the historical landslides with the rainfall intense 30mm/h. Meanwhile, this paper illustrates the relationship between the factor of safety (FS) and different rainfall patterns. GRAPES-LFM model enables us to further develop a regional, early warning dynamic prediction tool of rainfall-induced landslides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a semiautomatic method for landslide detection from satellite images and digital terrain information using generalized improved fuzzy Kohonen clustering network (GIFKCN) classifier is presented. The proposed method classifies the pre- and post-landslide images using the GIFKCN classifier which is trained using spectral indices such as normalized difference vegetation index, normalized difference building index and normalized difference water index. The changes in the vegetation class are identified using the pre- and post-classified images. Generally, landslides result in loss of vegetation; thus, using this property, candidate landslides are identified. Finally, false positives are removed using a rule set created from DEM derivatives slope and aspect. The proposed method is applied on Landsat 5 and Advanced Land Imager EO-1 satellite images to detect earthquake-induced landslides that occurred in Sikkim state of India due to the September 18, 2011, earthquake of magnitude M = 6.9. The terrain information used is ASTER Global Digital Elevation Model of the area. The accuracy assessment of the method is done, and the results show that the landslides are identified and classified efficiently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is essential to determine the shear strength parameters c and φ on the sliding surface for stability evaluation and engineering design of a landslide. In this study, a new parameter back analysis method is proposed by combining the 2D/3D upper bound method of limit analysis and reliability theory to accurately determine the shear strength parameters for a 3D slope with a single failure surface. The proposed reliability back analysis method overcomes the shortcomings of the traditional deterministic analysis method of slope stability that cannot take into account the randomness and uncertainty of geotechnical parameters. Based on the reliability theory, two methods were studied: first-order reliability method (implemented by spreadsheet and Matlab, called spreadsheet method and constrained optimization method, respectively, in this paper) and Monte Carlo simulation. The optimized values of c and φ were obtained by establishing only one balance equation with the consideration of the pore water pressure or other complex conditions, which can solve the problem of the back analysis of strength parameters for a single 3D sliding surface condition. The correlation research showed that the negative correlation between c and φ greatly affected the back analysis results, and the reliability index values were conservative without considering such a negative correlation. A case study for the back analysis of shear strength parameters is conducted based on a practical landslide model with a broken line slip surface slope in Zhuquedong village, Luxi town, Xiangxi County, Hunan Province, China, and a suggestion for the selection of landslide cross section is presented. The results show that the back analysis results determined by the reliability theory coincide well with the survey and experimental results. The proposed method is found to be more accurate and effective in determining the values of shear parameters than that of the traditional deterministic inversion method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landslide warning models are important for mitigating landslide risks. The rainfall threshold model is the most widely used early warning model for predicting rainfall-triggered landslides. Recently, the rainfall threshold model has been coupled with the landslide susceptibility (LS) model to improve the accuracy of early warnings in the spatial domain. Existing coupled models, designed based on a matrix including predefined rainfall thresholds and susceptibility levels, have been used to determine the warning level. These predefined classifications inevitably have subjective rainfall thresholds and susceptibility levels, thus affecting the probability distribution information and eventually influencing the reliability of the produced early warning. In this paper, we propose a novel landslide warning model in which the temporal and spatial probabilities of landslides are coupled without predefining the classified levels. The temporal probability of landslides is obtained from the probability distribution of rainfall intensities that triggered historical landslides. The spatial probability of landslides is then obtained from the susceptibility probability distribution. A case study shows that the proposed probability-coupled model can successfully provide hourly warning results before the occurrence of a landslide. Although all three models successfully predicted the landslide, the probability-coupled model produced a warning zone comprising the fewest grid cells. Quantitatively, the probability-coupled model produced only 39 grid cells in the warning zone, while the rainfall threshold model and the matrix-coupled model produced warning zones including 81 and 49 grid cells, respectively. The proposed model is also applicable to other regions affected by rainfall-induced landslides and is thus expected to be useful for practical landslide risk management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A large landslide (40 × 10 m) was reactivated on the left bank of Canelles reservoir, Spain. The instability was made evident after a considerable reduction of the reservoir level. The drawdown took place during the summer of 2006 after several years of high water levels. The drawdown velocity reached values between 0.5 and 1.2 m/day (registered at low elevations). The paper reports the geological and geotechnical investigations performed to define the movement. The geometry of the slip surface was established from the detailed analysis of the continuous cores recovered in deep borings and from limited information provided by inclinometers. Deep piezometric records provided also valuable information on the pore water pressure in the vicinity of the failure surface. These data allowed validating a flow-deformation coupled calculation model, which takes into account the changes in water level that occurred 4 years previous to the failure as well as the average rainfall. The analysis indicates that the most likely reason for the instability is the rapid drawdown that took place during the summer of 2006. The potential sudden acceleration of the slide is also analysed in the paper introducing coupled thermal hydraulic and mechanical effects that may develop at the basal shearing surface of the sliding mass. The results indicate that the slide velocity may reach values around 16 m/s when displacement reaches 250 m. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landslides and debris flows are typical geo-hazards which occur in hilly or mountainous regions. Debris flows may result from landslides. Geotechnical instrumentation plays an important role in monitoring and warning of landslides and resulted debris flows. Traditional technologies for monitoring landslides and debris flows have certain limitations. The new optical fiber sensors presented in this paper can overcome those limitations. This paper presents two new optical fiber sensor systems: one is the Fiber Bragg Grating (FBG)-based in-place inclinometer for monitoring landslides and the other is the FBG-based column-net system for monitoring debris flows. This paper presents the calibration results of FBG-based in-place inclinometers in laboratory. It is found that the calibration results are in good agreement with theoretical results. Both the FBG-based in-place inclinometers and the FBG-based column-net system have been installed at a site in Weijiagou valley, Beichuan County, Sichuan Province of China. Some preliminary results have been obtained and reported in the paper. The advantages of the FBG monitoring systems and their potential applications are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On February 05 2016, a significant and unfortunate series of mine disasters occurred at the Lily gold mine in South Africa, where 79 mineworkers were trapped under a huge rock and soil mass. In this paper, two separate geographical information system based models are proposed; one for surface and one for subsurface mine disasters. The multi-temporal (2004–2017) high-resolution pre and post-disaster satellite images were analyzed to assess the magnitude and spatial extent of the surface disaster. The explicit modeling technique was applied for mine subsidence using the Mohr–Coulomb failure criterion under gravitational acceleration. For surface disaster, the weighted overlay model was applied by assigning weights to hydrological (rainfall, flow direction, accumulation, and density); geological (geology and lineaments) and geomorphological (slope, aspect, and curvature) causative factors. The mine subsidence modeling results showed a subsidence zone of 55 × 24 × 71 m due to a failure of a crown pillar, whereas, in reality, it was 60 × 30 × 80 m. The deformation results showed that the lamp room wherein the miners were trapped could have been displaced somewhere at or below level 5 but above level 6 towards the southwest direction. The output of surface disaster modeling was also satisfactory and reliable as the actual two slope failures, i.e. the western and southern landslides of the Lily gold mine, located in extreme risk zones as predicted by the model. The results of this study can be useful for future mine planning and the environmental improvements at the Lily gold mine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Identifying the instability areas provides useful information about the recognition of the vulnerable zones and, thus, helps to potentially decrease the harm to the infrastructure and the hazard conditions in inhabited areas. In this regard, morphometric parameters and tectonic setting are widely employed in mapping, modelling and understanding of instability processes. The present study is aimed to analyse the combined effects of slope morphometry (slope gradient, slope curvature, local relief), of lithology, of drainage density and of tectonic setting on the distribution of landslides. The study area is located in the Mesima Basin that lies in the central part of the Calabria region (southern Italy). The morphometric analysis was carried out by geographic information system (GIS) techniques, whereas the geomorphic attributes were computed by a digital elevation model (DEM). The recognized landslides and faults were digitized and stored in a GIS geo-database that allowed the construction of relative density maps. A total of 1 991 landslides and 231 tectonic lineaments were recognized and mapped. The distribution of the collected data suggests that the occurrence of landslides is not random. Indeed, the research highlights as the lithology, the fault density, the slope gradient and the local relief play an important role in determining the landslide occurrence. The used approach is aimed to reinforce the knowledge about the validity of the application of morphometric analysis to the landslide susceptibility. The Mesima Basin is a poorly studied area of the Calabria from a geomorphological viewpoint. Indeed, previous researches focused mainly on geological and on tectonic aspects, as well as on instability phenomena in the Mesima surroundings. Thus, this paper takes a step forward with respect to previous studies because it augments the knowledge about the relationship between faults, morphometric features and the occurrence of landslide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In March 15, 2019, a small-scale loess landslide occurred at Zaoling, Shanxi Province, China, destroying several buildings and killing 20 people. Based on a digital orthophoto map (DOM) and digital elevation model (DEM) derived from Dajiang Pro4 UAV aerial images, coupled with field investigations, this paper describes the geometric features of this slope failure and analyzes its possible inducing factors. Results show that this landslide has a circular chair shape with a sliding direction of 355°. The total projected area of the landslide is 11,800 m2, in which the source is 9880 m2, and the main scarp is 1995 m2. The volume of the source material and loose deposit debris are about 10 × 104 m3 and 12 × 104 m3, respectively. Our research suggests that the inducing factors of this event may include the low strength and structure of the loess under a wet condition, special landforms of the slope, and human activities such as water discharge from a nearby bath center building and coal mining. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, we examine the influence of the 27 October 2012, Mw 7.8 earthquake on landslide occurrence in the southern half of Haida Gwaii (formerly Queen Charlotte Islands), British Columbia, Canada. Our 1350 km2 study area is undisturbed, primarily forested terrain that has not experienced road building or timber harvesting. Our inventory of landslide polygons is based on optical airborne and spaceborne images acquired between 2007 and 2018, from which we extracted and mapped 446 individual landslides (an average of 33 landslides per 100 km2). The landslide rate in years without major earthquakes averages 19.4 per year, or 1.4/100 km2/year, and the annual average area covered by non-seismically triggered landslides is 35 ha/year. The number of landslides identified in imagery closely following the 2012 earthquake, and probably triggered by it, is 244 or an average of about 18 landslides per 100 km2. These landslides cover a total area of 461 ha. In the following years—2013–2016 and 2016–2018—the number of landslides fell, respectively, to 26 and 13.5 landslides per year. In non-earthquake years, most landslides happen on south-facing slopes, facing the prevailing winds. In contrast, during or immediately after the earthquake, up to 32% of the landslides occurred on north and northwest-facing slopes. Although we could not find imagery from the day after the earthquake, overview reconnaissance flights 10 and 16 days later showed that most of the landslides were recent, suggesting they were co-seismic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper deals with geosynthetics-reinforced barriers conceived as protection works against debris avalanches, which are a dramatic threat for human life and structures. This kind of barrier is intended to be deformable under the impact and is here analysed for various cases of landslide velocity, impact duration and peak impact pressure. The latter is the sum of a dynamic component (velocity-dependent) and a static component (height-dependent). The barrier is conceived as a multilayered embankment, reinforced by geogrids wrapped around the facing. Both static and dynamic stress–strain analyses are performed through a commercial FEM code (Plaxis v. 8.5) to simulate the deformation mechanisms and the ultimate limit states. Four geometries of the barrier and four combinations of the materials are considered. The core of the barrier is made of coarse-grained material modelled as elastic-perfectly plastic with a non-associative Mohr–Coulomb yield criterion. The facing is 60° to 80° steep and sustained by an iron mesh here simulated as an elastic beam element. The geogrids are modelled as elastic traction-resistant elements. Frictional interfaces are considered at the soil–geogrid and the soil facing contacts. The displacements of the inner points and the global behaviour of barriers are evaluated over time. Out of four newly defined deformation mechanisms, local, global, combined or compound, only three principal scenarios are outlined: i) a global displacement along the base of the barrier, ii) a local yielding of soil combined with a global displacement of the barrier, or iii) a shifting of the reinforced layers along the geogrids with an acceptable performance of the whole barrier. Such results are discussed in relation to the geometry and the materials of the barrier, also taking into account the features of the impact loading. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landslide susceptibility maps can be developed with artificial neural networks (ANNs). In order to train our ANNs, a digital elevation model (DEM) and a scar map of one previous event were used. Eleven attributes are generated, possibly containing redundant information. Our base model is formed by, essentially, one input (the DEM), eleven attributes, 30 neurons, and one output (susceptibility). Principal components (PCs) group information in the first projected variables, the last ones can be expendable. In the present paper, four groups of models were trained: one with eleven attributes generated from the DEM; one with 8 out of 11 attributes, in which 3 were eliminated by their high correlation with others; other, with the data projected over its PCs; and another, using 8 out of 11 PCs. The used number of neurons in hidden layer is 30, calibrated based on a complexity analysis that is an in-house developed method. The ANN models trained with the original data generated better statistical results than their counterparts trained with the PC transformed input. Keeping the original 11 attributes calculated provided the best metrics among all models, showing that eliminating attributes also eliminates information used by the model. Using 11 PC transformed attributes hindered trained. However, for the model with eight PCs, training was much faster than its counterpart with little accuracy loss. The metrics and maps achieved were considered acceptable, conveying the power of our model based on ANNs, which uses essentially one input (the DEM) for mapping areas susceptible to mass movements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

On the evening of December 22, 2018, the coasts of the Sunda Strait, Indonesia, were hit by a tsunami generated by the collapse of a part of the Anak Krakatau volcano. Hundreds of people were killed, thousands were injured and displaced. This paper presents a preliminary modeling of the volcano flank collapse and the tsunami generated based on the results of a 2D depth-averaged coupled model involving a granular rheology and a Coulomb friction for the slide description and dispersive effects for the water flow part. With a reconstructed total volume (subaerial and submarine) of the landslide of 150 million m 3 inferred from pre and post-collapse satellite and aerial images, the comparison of the simulated water waves with the observations (tide gauges located all around the strait, photographs and field surveys) is satisfactory. Due to the lack of information for the submarine part of the landslide, the reconstructed submarine slope is assumed to be approximately constant. A significant time delay on the results and particularly in the Bandar Lampung Bay could be attributed to imprecisions of bathymetric data. The sensitivity to the basal friction and to dispersive effects is analyzed through numerical tests. Results show that the influence of the basal friction angle on the simulated wave heights decreases with distance and that a value of 2 ∘ gives consistent results with the observations. The dispersive effects are assessed by comparing water waves simulated by a shallow water model and a Boussinesq model. Simulations with frequency dispersion produce longer wave periods and smaller wave amplitudes in the Sunda Strait and particularly in deep waters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

One of the important issues in identifying susceptible landslide locations is to select effective factors in the landslide of studied areas. The complexity of this issue is due to the fact that each of the factors is a part of the desired criteria, and the selection among them is a multi-criteria decision-making problem, requiring a structured and systematic approach. In the study area, the presence of large outcrops, as well as relatively thick soils formed on the formations, has caused a significant level of the province to potentially have the conditions for the movement of the tides. In addition, the situation is exacerbated by inappropriate use of natural resources, and construction of numerous rural and forest roads. In this paper, multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) such as the fuzzy analytical hierarchy process (FAHP) and Dempster–Shafer (DeS) method was used to detect susceptible landslide locations, and output maps were verified applying the prediction–area (P–A) method for landslide purposes. The study has utilized P–A plot to evaluate and compare the obtained results of FAHP and DeS methods. The results indicated that the normalized density value achieved from P–A plots was significantly higher for the FAHP than the corresponding value for the DeS. In other words, FAHP, compared to DeS, resulted in the successful detection of landslide occurrences and more accurate classification of the study area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landslide Hazard Zonation (LSH) maps play a key role in landuse planning particularly in landslide prone areas. LSH mapping is globally accepted one for analyzing the area for landslide susceptibility. Different approaches were followed by many researchers in India to prepare landslide hazard zonation mapping depending upon their need and requirement. The Nilgiris district in Western Ghats of India is one of the severe to high landslide hazard prone areas of India. Many agencies have carried out research on LSH mapping for the Nilgiris district with different scales. A systematic study of inventory and zonation was 122carried out in 1980's by government agencies. However there is no proper updation or documentation on landslides after 1980's in the district The purpose of this paper is to review the existing landslide-related studies in the district of The Nilgiris and review the district's existing landslide hazard map with updated information. Landslide hazard maps in The Nilgiris were compiled in the GIS platform from various authenticated sources. Data on landslides from 1824 to 2014 were collected and a spatial database on landslides was created. A detailed inventory was analyzed and used for revision of the district's landslide hazard impact on the 2009 landslides.. Based on the landslide inventory and densely populated areas and repeated landslides at the same locations, the most landslide hazard areas were identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The landslides of the flow-type are dangerous and also challenging to study. A wide literature has been investigating the principal mechanisms governing each stage in which these phenomena can be ideally subdivided: failure, post-failure and propagation. However, holistic contributions and general overviews are very rare. In addition, a number of numerical methods have been issued and validated so that new chances exist to efficiently model those threats. The paper focuses on two classes of rainfall-induced landslides of the flow-type, namely debris flows and debris avalanches. The principal numerical methods are reviewed for modelling the landslide initiation and propagation and are later used for analyzing a series of benchmark slopes and real case histories which are successfully simulated. Results: The rainfall from ground surface and water spring from the bedrock are key factors for slope instability. Pore water pressure plays a relevant role also during the propagation stage. The entrainment of further material makes the propagation patterns complex due to lateral spreading and slow-down of the front of flows. It is shown that the used models are capable to provide useful indications even for combined channelized and unchannelized flows. Conclusions: Notwithstanding the complexity of flow-like landslides and the related challenges in modelling, the understanding and forecasting of such natural hazards is achievable with a satisfactory confidence. Among the key factors, rainfall, pore water pressure and bed entrainment deserves a special attention. Further improvements are expectable as the numerical models are becoming more efficient. Thus, more accurate descriptions of local effects will be possible and also additional mechanisms will be eventually analysed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Slope instability phenomena such as mudslides represent a major geohazard in Brazil, which has caused devastation in many states and affected the lives of people, particularly in self-built settlements on steep slopes. This paper presents and discusses slope stability issues encountered in Caxias do Sul in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, which exemplifies the existing situation of landslide risk assessment in southern Brazil. Local geology and ground conditions of the area in relation to slope instability were reviewed and gaps in information required for mitigating risk were identified, such as inadequate geotechnical information and lack of full inspection and continuous monitoring of active landslides. Although risk assessment has been developed for the city and regarded as a fundamental management tool in the mitigation of landslide hazards, the study showed that the risk assessment works are outdated and not effectively considered for the development of the city. With significant unplanned urban expansion (where houses have been self-built on very steep terrains without geotechnical assessment of the ground and slope conditions), new geohazard mapping is essentially required. Several key recommendations were provided for mitigating the destructive effect of landslides and improving their management in mountainous urban settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A comprehensive understanding of bedrock lithology and groundwater circulation is necessary to identify areas prone to landslide initiation and reactivation. This necessity is particularly required in the case of outcroppings of weak rocks such as gypsum that, due to their high solubility and low mechanical strength, can promote slope deformation with the development of caves and collapses. In the Upper Secchia River Valley, where gypsum outcrops extensively and is covered by landslide deposits, an accurate identification of the gypsum outcrops and their distribution is needed to reduce the damage to urbanized slopes. In this paper, a hydrologic and geochemical approach is used in the Montecagno landslide to identify the origin, flow paths and transit time of groundwater circulating inside the landslide body and to identify gypsum deposits and their distribution in the bedrock. The results of groundwater-level monitoring, δ18O-δ2H and 3H isotope analyses and FLOWPC modelling suggest a local and recent origin of the groundwater hosted in shallow flow paths inside the landslide. Chemical and isotope (87Sr/86Sr, δ11B) analyses offer evidence of the presence inside the landslide of small blocks of gypsum that, due to their dimensions, probably have a minor influence on landslide stability. This research demonstrates that the methodology used can provide satisfactory information about bedrock structures and their hydrological aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on a typical slow-moving landslide that occurred in Shuitianba village in Wanyuan County, Sichuan Province, China, on September 16, 2017. The landslide in Wanyuan County is regionally outstanding for its features and well-developed landslide morphology. Hence, this event can provide a good case study for understanding the possible triggering conditions of the occurrences of all the landslides examined in Wanyuan County. The 225 residents of Shuitianba village did not flee the village because the deformation of the landslide was extremely slow. However, the primary emergency tasks are still necessary to reduce the landslide risk that may affect the residents. Detailed field investigations, boreholes, and exploratory trenches were performed to investigate the characteristics and triggering factors of this landslide. Rainfall and anthropogenic activities (such as informal, unplanned settlements and deforestation) were revealed to be the main triggering factors. The main engineering control measures, including anti-sliding piles, an anti-sliding retaining wall, and intercepting ditch, were applied to stabilize the landslide. However, landslide mitigation measures have not been finished, and hence, some interim measures are suggested to effectively reduce landslide risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, the landslide mechanism in highly weathered volcanic rocks is analyzed in Niushoushan Hill in Nanjing; this hill is mainly composed of volcanic tuff rocks. The gradually weathered rocks reduce the hillslope stability and cause landslides during continuous rainfall. The kaolin and montmorillonite clay minerals were tested using an X-ray diffractometer. The subsequent swelling, disintegration, and permeable tests indicated the location of soft zones and the poor hydraulic conductivity of the highly weathered tuff (HWT). The overflow from boreholes and joints exposes a confined aquifer that is caused by rainfall infiltration in the lower moderately weathered tuff (MWT), which crops out on the top of the hill and is bounded on the interface of the HWT and MWT. The electrical resistivity tomography method was carried out for the considered slope to define the boundaries of the discontinuities as a supplement to drilling. The displacements of the slope surface and the deep rocks were monitored, and the results indicated that sliding had not stopped after a long period of continuous rainfall. Slope stability analysis, considering a water head rise due to rainfall infiltration, was carried out using the Slide v6.0 computer package. The simulation included steady-state flow, transient seepage associated with rainfall and slope stability variation caused by different infiltration conditions. The results indicate that the HWT with low permeability can confine the activity of the lower aquifer and result in a rapid rise of pore pressure in response to rainfall, which can lead to slope failure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports a case study of the interaction between a slow-moving landslide in clay soil and a railway tunnel protected by sheet pile walls, that crosses the landslide accumulation. The earthflow, that develops in the Southern Apennines, Italy, has been long studied and monitored by different organizations, such as the national railway company and the University of Basilicata. Since the investigated landslide and construction typologies are quite diffused in mountainous areas, the case study can be considered representative of a large number of other similar cases. Differently from other approaches proposed in the literature, the role of the landslide slip surface depth, changing in the directions longitudinal and transversal to the tunnel, and of structural connections, affecting the pile–tunnel system response, are accounted for in detail. Several numerical models are used to simulate the interaction between the sliding soil and tunnel. Different 2D and 3D geotechnical and structural models are adopted to reproduce stress–strain scenarios compatible with the experimental evidence. The modeling results indicate that the interaction varies considerably along the tunnel length because of the 3D geometry of the landslide, and is conditioned by the residual shear strength available on the slip surface. The expansion joints in the tunnel lining only marginally influence the stress in the structure because of the presence of the adjacent sheet pile walls, which enable considerable collaboration between the tunnel sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on a recent landslide event, which occurred in Yanyuan County at Xichang City, Sichuan Province, China, on 19 July 2018. Due to the continuous and heavy rainfall between 8 July 2018 and 18 July 2018, approximately 18 million m3 of soil detached from an ancient landslide and buried 65 buildings, the entire sliding process lasted for several minutes. Here, based on field investigations and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) photography, we describe the characteristics and failure mechanism of this landslide. The results showed that the landslide was triggered by the continuous and heavy rainfall. Additionally, during the first post-failure stage, the motion of this landslide involved typical successive movement, and over time, the style of movement progressively turned flow-like, which can be classified as debris slide by using the 1978 Varnes classification scheme. The landslide event described here is an outstanding case for landslide studies. In particular, this landslide represents a good illustration of the transform mechanism of landslide movement from sliding to flow-like. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Yangtze River is one of the most important rivers in China due to its large basin size, the large population along the river, and the numerous large dams and reservoirs on the river. The Jinsha River, the upper reach of the Yangtze River, was dammed twice recently at Baige, Tibet, one on 10 October 2018 and the other on 3 November 2018 (UTC + 8). Accordingly, two large landslide dams, 61 m and 96 m in height to the lowest dam crest, were formed in a 3-week interval. Due to the large inflow rates at the time of damming, the barrier lake level rose rapidly, posing huge risks to the downstream residents and properties. In managing the landslide dam risk, one of the important tasks is to predict the dam breaching flood beforehand. This paper focuses on rapid prediction of the dam breaching hydrograph and breach geometric parameters of the two landslide dams. The predictions were made timely before the breaching of the two landslide dams using both erosion-based empirical equations and numerical simulation and were refined based on detailed field investigation at the site after breaching. Comprehensive field investigations were conducted to determine the geological structures of the landslide dams, characterize the erodibility of dam materials, and measure the final beach dimensions. The simulated dam breaching processes, outflow hydrographs, lake water level changes, and final breach dimensions were validated by field observations. Compared with the hypothetical scenario without a diversion channel on the second landslide dam, a diversion channel 15 m in depth successfully lowered the peak flood discharge by about one third and helped to mitigate the flood risk significantly. The analysis outcome serves as basis for warning and evacuation of the downstream residents and making appropriate engineering risk mitigation plans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Landslide is a disaster which may cause huge losses of human life and block the traffic on hilly area. In this paper, we present a new physically based model to simulate the dynamic flow of landslides, under a modified MPM (material point method) framework. To realistically simulate the characteristics of fracture and flow of soil medium in landslide, we introduce the modified Cambridge clay model (MCCM) from soil dynamics into the yield surface criterion to model the dynamic process of landslides. The interaction between soil and rock in the landslide is simulated by a level-set-based two-way fluid–solid coupling algorithm. Meanwhile, we propose a GPU-based optimization to calculate the signed distance function in level set to improve the efficiency of collision detection. We also simplify the hardening and softening parameter calculation algorithm of MCCM to reduce the calculation involved in landslide simulation. By choosing different values of the material yield surface parameters, various kinds of landslide disaster scenes with different cover area are successfully generated, including rocks rolling from hill, soil and rock collapsing, landslide flowing, and covering the road and cars. Experimental results demonstrate the potential of our method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper deals with landslide hazards in the Ebantu district of the Oromia regional state of western Ethiopia. Ninety-two landslides were recorded during field investigations and Google Earth interpretation. The data sets were prepared as a layer in the spatial GIS database that was later utilized for generating the landslide susceptibility zonation map. Slope, elevation, and distance from drainage were extracted from the digital elevation model, the geology is modified from the geological map of Nekemte, and the land use map was prepared from Landsat +ETM satellite (2015) using digital image processing techniques. The statistical index method was applied to identify landslide hazard areas, and statistical analysis was carried out based on the relationship between past landslides and the causative factors. The causative factor map is further classified into a number of classes based on their relative influence on mass movement and rating values are assigned to each class depending on their influence on slope instability. Based on their assigned weight values, the map overlay process is performed using Arc GIS 10.3, and finally, the landslide hazard map showing various zones is produced by the overlay technique. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The analysis of landslides using monitoring data is a commonly used method for landslide prediction and early warning. However, the loss of data due to breakdown of the monitoring equipment or interference of external factors is unavoidable in the process of monitoring landslide data. An interpolation algorithm can supplement and correct the data to solve the problem of data loss. This multi-position and long-term monitoring data is non-linear, multidimensional and time-varying, which makes it difficult for the commonly used spatiotemporal kriging interpolation methods to construct an appropriate model straightaway. This paper presents a non-uniform spatiotemporal kriging interpolation method. It breaks through the restriction of Euclidean distance in the spatial dimension while breaking away from linear relationship in the temporal dimension. The spatiotemporal deformation field model is constructed using spatiotemporal optimal weights combination and subsequently optimized by particle swarm optimization algorithm. The ordinary kriging interpolation is extended to the non-uniform spatiotemporal kriging interpolation under the spatiotemporal constraints condition. This method is successfully applied to the interpolation of the monitoring data of landslide displacement. It provides better data for studies of landslide disasters and is of great practical significance for prevention and prediction of landslide disasters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rainfall, groundwater, and fluctuation in reservoir levels are considered among the main external factors affecting the stability of slopes. The impact of groundwater is particularly evident during the rainy season. In this paper, a case study on a geological investigation of the Donglingxing (DLX) landslide is presented to demonstrate a drainage control strategy. Due to the characteristics of the landslide and the limitations on the construction of stabilizing piles, a drainage tunnel system is herein used to reduce the risk of landslide. A comprehensive analysis is conducted on the monitoring data of rainfall, groundwater levels, reservoir water level, and drainage discharges from the tunnels. Based on field measurement data on groundwater level, water discharge, and deformation of the landslide before and after construction of the drainage tunnel, the effectiveness of the drainage tunnel system is evaluated. The results indicate that the drainage tunnel is effective in increasing the stability of landslide, and this work can serve as a reference case for other landslides. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural damming of rivers by mass movements is a very common and potentially dangerous phenomena which has been documented all over the world. In this paper, a two-layer model of Savage-Hutter type is presented to simulate the dynamic procedure for the intrusion of landslide into rivers. The two-layer shallow water system is derived by depth averaging the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations with the hydrostatic assumption. A high order accuracy scheme based on the finite volume method is proposed to solve the presented model equations. Several numerical tests are performed to verify the realiability and feasibility of the proposed model. The numerical results indicate that the proposed method can be competent for simulating the dynamic process of landslide intrusion into the river. The interaction effect between both layers has a significant impact on the landslide movement, water fluctuation and wave propagation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]