Landslides

CAUSES OF LANDSLIDES

g=gp
gt= 0
gt

angle of repose

gp = gt gt > gp
Water contents and normal stress
V

gt
σ = gp - B
Water table σ
gp
Buoyancy (B)
Coulomb--Terzaghi equation
Coulomb

SH = C + σ . tan φ

Where: SH = total shear strength (τ)

C = cohesion
σ = effective normal stress
tan φ = coefficient of internal friction
 Strength of material on slope

• Shear Stress • Shear Strength

• mass of the material • cohesion
• slope angle • internal friction
• Shear Stress (S) = Fg x Sin θ • SH = C + σ tan φ
• F
Fg = W x g (C l b T
(Coulomb-Terazaghi hi eq.))
• If the weight = • SH – total shear strength
500 d θ = 300
00 kkg and • C – cohesion
h i
• Fg = 500 x 9.8 = 4900 N • σ - effective normal stress
• Shear St
Sh Stress = • tan φ - coefficient of
4900 x Sin (30) = 2450 N internal friction
Good Friday earthquake on March 27
27,, 1964,
1964, Alaska

• This area was built on sands and

gravels overlying a marine clay

• The upper clay layers were

relatively stiff, but the lower layers
consisted of a sensitive clay

• The slide moved about 610 m

toward the ocean,
ocean breaking up into
a series of blocks.

• The blocks rotating near the front

of the slide, eventually sealed off
the sensitive clay layer preventing
further extrusion.

• Movements along blocks resulted

into formation of pull-apart basins
Rotational slide
Subsidence
• It represents the downward movement of the surface
• It may occur due to plastic outflow of the underlying strata
or due to the compaction of the underlying material
• (1) Subsidence due to Plastic outflow: It may occur
when a plastic layer like clay bed is squeezed outward
due to overlying heavy load e.g. e g 1964 Good Friday
Alaskan earthquake.
• (2) Subsidence due to collapse: It occur due to
extensive pull out of large volume of underground water
or due to subsurface solution activity in limestone terrain.
 Subsidence
• Constant or excess
removal of ground water
deplete the water table
andd increases
i th area
the
of Vadose zone (the
unsaturated zone above
the water table)

• Because of this the

empty space between
the grains result into
collapse after pumping