Slopes Flashcards
Worldwide statistics
(Increaing) several 1000 deaths pa
UK statistics
> 18,000 features known
Many dormant/fossil
What is the slope failure?
Downward movement under the influence of gravity
Movement of soil/rock
Landslides
Movement of snow/ice
snow avalanche
Components of slope failure
Source/head/Scarp
Body/Chute/Toe/Fan
What is slope stability
The balance of =
Driving force ( gravity) on weight and slope angle)
Resistance of slope materials on cohesion , cement and friction
What is the Mohr–Coulomb failure criterion
Used to describe the strenght of soils and rocks
How does failure occur
Critically oriented plane when gravitational shear stress/ plane exceeds the shear strength
Equation
τf = c + σ tanφ
τf
sheer strength
σ
effective normal stress on the failure plane
c
cohesion angle
φ
friction angle
Factors contributing to slope failure
Steep slopes
Loading
Weak materials
Weathering
Trigger
Landslide triggers
Water
Seismic activity
human activity
Landslide earthquake correlation
The magnitude and frequency links
Few landslides =
M<4
M9 triggers
landslides up to 500km+ from epicentre
Distances correlate with…
focal depth
Areas correlate with …
magnitude
What was the Wenchuan earthquake
M7.9
triggered.56,000 landslides
What was the Alaska earthquake
1964
M9.2
large masses of material landed on glaciers
Human contributions to landslide hazards
Modification of slopes:
loading,cutting,drainage
Artificial slopes:tips
Land degration, logging
Triggers
Encroachment
Froude and Petley, 2018
land slide hotspots
Incresae in frequency most prevalent in South East Asia
Characteristics of landslides
Volume - single boulder (km3)
Velocity - cm/y 100s m/s
Horizontal travel distance ( small 2x fall
Types of movement
fall/topple
slide
spread
flow
Type of material
rock
soil
snow/ice
Falls and topple
Detachment ( rotation)
Common( rapid, variable volume)
Disruptive
Slides
The movement on a shear surface
Are rotational or translational
Topple in the UK
Oxwich Bay, 2009 and 2018