Large landslides at the northeastern margin of the Bayan Har Block, Tibetan Plateau, China

Large landslides (volume greater than or equal to 106 m3) usually have disastrous consequences and clearly influence the evolution of the local landscape. In this study, a detailed investigation of large landslides, across 20 towns over an area of 5000 km2, was carried out on the northeastern margin of the Bayan Har Block, at the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau, China. The results show that there are 129 large landslides in this area. Among them, 79 landslides have volumes within 106–107 m3, 52 landslides have volumes within 107–108 m3 and 2 landslides have volumes larger than 108 m3. Most of these landslides are distributed along rivers, and more than 32% are densely concentrated in three small regions. The landslides mainly occur in high slopes and exhibit obvious sturzstrom characteristics. Analysis of the factors controlling landslide occurrence shows that elevation, slope angle, slope aspect, lithology, faults and rivers (valley) clearly influence landslide occurrence, while rainfall has no obvious influence. Earthquakes are considered an important trigger of and contributor to landslide occurrence.