Landslide and Slope Stability

June-2010
n.k.agarwal geo-consultant

Geological, Geotechnical, Environmental & Allied Services

Hydro Power, Environment, Mineral Resources, Disaster Damage Reduction, Integrated Watershed Management, Technical Auditing & Site Inspection Phone: +91 135 2650373/2654487, Mob.:+91 9760099015, Fax: +91 135 2657748

Landslides Impact and Remediation

Landslides Cause Accidents and Disasters Landslide Management

Identification Processes Remediation

Types Studies

Academic/Documentation Inventory Type and Mechanism R&D Disaster Rescue & Relief Zonation Mitigation Management Prevention, Stabilisation

Active Landslides Inactive Landslides Palaeo Landslides

Landslide - Generic
Landslide and Slope Failure are a part of Mass Wasting Processes All objects have a tendency to acquire lowest potential energy level Many types of Mass Movements are included in Landslide

Landslide is a Generic term for a wide variety of perceptible downslope and outward movement of rocks and soil. Usually Landslide occurs on steep slopes Can also occur on low relief area Landslides can be triggered by natural as well as anthropogenic changes in the environment. Natural changes include reduction in shear strength and increase in weight of the rock/soil. Anthropogenic changes include modification of slope profile and surface-groundwater regime.

Mass Wasting
Mass wasting is the down slope movement of materials under the influence of gravity. Mass wasting can occur at rates of only a few cm/year and cause little damage and no loss of life, or it can occur at over 100 150km/hr and result in great loss of life and property damage.

Classification of Landslides

Type of Movement

Bedrock

Soils/Overburden

Types of Landslides and Movements

S.No. 1 2 3 Falls Topple Slide Type Movement Abrupt outward and downslope movement of detached material from cliffs, steep slopes- free fall, rolling, bouncing. Block of Rock tilts-rotates outward and falls- rolls down slope, bounces. 1) Rotational Landslide : movement along an upward concave surface of rupture, the moved mass is tilted backward 2) Translational Landslide : movement is essentially outward a and no backward tilt. Nearly horizontal movement on very gentle slopes mainly due to saturation and liquefaction. 1) Creep : Slow downslope movement of rock debris and soil. 2) Debris flow : Rock debris and soil moves down slope as a slurry mass along narrow gullies and gorges. 3) Debris Avalanche : An extremely rapid movement of Debris flow downslope. 4) Mud Flow : Rapid movement of wet mud (50% sand, silt, clay) downslope 5) Lahar Flow ; Rock or Mud flow downslope of Volcanoes.

4 5

Lateral Spread Flows

Slump Flow

Types

NKA-2010

Root Cause of Mass Wasting

Root Cause of Mass Wasting is the Force of Gravity. There are other Factors that increase the risk of Slope Failure. When One or more of these risk factors is high, Mass Wasting is likely to occur

No Movement

Safety Factor = Shear Strength/Shear Stress If Safety Factor becomes <1, Slope Failure is Expected

Slope Failure

F = Shearing Strength mg sin

= Shearing Stress

Landslide and Slope Failure

Site characteristics
(1) Groundwater and seepage conditions. (2) Lithology, stratigraphy, and geologic details disclosed by borings and geologic interpretations. (3) Maximum past overburden at the site as deduced from geological evidence. (4) Structure, including bedding, folding, and faulting (5) Alteration of materials by faulting (6) Joints and joint systems. (7) Weathering. (8) Cementation. (9) Slickenside. (10) Field evidence relating to slides, earthquake activity, movement along existing faults, and tension jointing.

Causes of Slope Instability/Landslides

Geological causes Weak or sensitive materials Sheared, jointed, or fissured materials Adversely oriented discontinuity (bedding, schistosity, fault, unconformity, contact, and so forth) Contrast in permeability and/or stiffness of materials Morphological causes Tectonic or volcanic uplift Fluvial, wave, or glacial erosion of slope toe or lateral margins Subterranean erosion (solution, piping) Deposition loading slope or its crest Vegetation removal (by fire, drought) Thawing Freeze-and-thaw weathering Shrink-and-swell weathering

Causes of Slope Instability/Landslides (contd.)

Anthropogenic causes

Excavation of slope or its toe Loading of slope or its crest Drawdown (of reservoirs) Change in land use Drain seepage Deforestation Irrigation Mining Artificial vibration Water leakage from utilities Vibrations due to explosions

Important Triggers for Slope Failure/ Landslides

Water Slope saturation by water due to intense rainfall, snowmelt, changes in ground-water levels, and waterlevel changes along coastlines, earth dams, and the banks of lakes, reservoirs, canals, and rivers.
Toe removal

Slope Modification by cut slopes, river erosion, Adding material a slide mass increases its driving force.

Head loading

Important Triggers for Slope Failure/ Landslides (contd.)

Strength reduction

Weathering ultimately weakens all slope materials; slow creep causes restructuring of clays stressed within slopes; slow processes eventually reach critical points. Cyclic and temporarily increased stresses may cause soil restructuring or rock fracturing.

Earthquakes

Earthquakes, generally of magnitude 6 and above, inducing ground intensities of greater than or equal to VI, trigger landslides in the critical reaches of hill slopes.
Artificial vibrations, as from heavy road traffic.

Vibration

Inviting problem

Steep High Cut Slopes in Debris fan - Cut Slope Failed during the next rains

Distant View of Sonapur Landslide (Jaintia Hills, Meghalaya

Creeping landslide

Telltale marks of landslide

The trained eye of a geologist can discover Clues if a land is currently moving. Clues if the land has moved in the past. Evidence that the land is moving includes cracks appearing where the land is being slowly pulled apart from the hillside. These cracks are called tension cracks. With time, the ground on one side of the tension crack may slide downhill forming a scarp and leaves a scar. A fresh scar has a lighter color and no/sparse vegetation in comparison to adjoining slopes. Bulging- lobate landforms-soil profiles indicate old slides.

Hummocky Landforms indicate landslide or soliflucttion

Initiation of detachment

First Information Report

1. Date and time of occurrences: 2. Location: i) Village / Town ii) Tehsil / Taluka iii) District iv) State v) Co-ordinates and Toposheet No. 3. Dimensions: i) Length ii) Breadth iii) Height 4. Type: i) Rock Slide / Fall ii) Overburden Slide / Fall 5. History i) Old ii) New 6. Material Involved: i)Rock / Overburden 7. Whether in road cutting / river bank / natural hill slopes 8. Structure Affected: i) Road / Railway line ii) Houses iii) Land a) Barren b) Cultivated c) Forest iv) Civil Projects 9. Casualties: i) Human ii) Livestock

First Information Report (contd.)

10. Rain fall: i) During last 24 hours ii) During the week prior to slide iii) If rainfall data are not available, local assessment may be given 11. Causes of Slide: i) As per local assessment 12. Existing Remedial Measures: and recommendations if any Signature: Name: Address: Email: Ph. No.

Geological Survey of India as a Nodal Agency is responsible for: Coordinating and undertaking geological studies for landslide Hazard Mitigation Carrying out landslide hazard zonation Monitoring landslides and avalanches Studying the factors responsible for sliding and suggesting precautionary as well as Preventive measures

Is there a landslide in your locality? Send the First Information to Nodal Officer, GSI (Fax: 011-29051328/26053532, 033-22861656) or email :[email protected]

Scope for Action

Formulation Uniform Methodologies for LHZ on Macro and Meso Scales

LHZ of Vulnerable Areas on Macro Scales

LHZ of identified areas on Meso Scales Real Time Monitoring of Slides

Development and Validation of Early Warning System

Guidelines and training for Scientists, Engineers, Planners & Decision makers Inventory/ Database on LHZ Formulation Strategy for Prevention and Reduction Loss Environmental Life, Livestock & Property

Awareness Generation

Massive Landslide La Conchita-California (1995)

Physical weathering

NKA-2010

Planar Failure

Wedge Failure
When the rock mass is cut across by two or more joint planes such that they cut each other, with the minimum requirement of four planes WITH either two free surfaces and two joint planes or at least one free space with three unfavorably oriented joint or discontinuity planes , constituting a tetrahedral or trapezoidal wedge, failure may initiate either along their line of intersection or on one of the gentler dipping planes. Such type of failures are called 'wedge failure'.

Landslide Management
Strategy Geotechnical + Bio-engineering Treatment

Reduction in Shearing Stress Enhancing Shearing Strength

Reduction in Shear Stress

Removal of Head Load of the Slide Grading of Slope Benching of Slopes Removal of Loose and Unstable Material

Enhancement of Shearing Strength

Over burden laden Slope treatment by geotextile/geogrid Grading of over burden laden slopes Dressing of Sealing of Cracks Rock bolting/anchors/cable anchors Shotcreting Consolidation grouting and pile shafts in the weathered rock mass Drainage

Landslide Hazard Zonation

Macro Scale 1:50,000 to 25,000 scale Meso Scale - 1:25,000 to 1:15,000 scale Micro Scale 1:15,000 to 1:5,000 Scale

Zonation Map Validation

Field - Slope Instability Incidences Statistical - Frequency Correlation

Varunavat Landslide Treatment

July-August 2003

Lateral Cracks

GSI officer Noticed these cracks

(21-24th August 2003)

Lateral Cracks

Initiation of varunavat Landslide

24th-25th September varunavat Slope Failed and huge quantities of debris rolled down on residential and commercial buildings in Uttarkashi

24-25 Sep 2003

Geological Set Up
Proterozoic Garhwal Group rocks comprising quartzite, phyllite and metabasics are exposed. Rocks dip at 15o-45o in N010o-040o direction i.e. into the hill. The rocks are highly weathered, destressed, decomposed, jointed and fractured. The hill slopes are steep 45o-60o in general, the top of the hill has gentler slopes. The top varunavat hill is laden by unconsolidated, overburden mass. The top is at El 1800m and the toe of the hill is at EL 1100m m.s.l. The overburden/rock contact is exposed at El 1660m.

Geological-Geotechnical Investigations

Contouring of Landslide Area on 1:1000 scale

Geological Mapping on 1:1000 scale Identification of Structural Discontinuities/Lineaments Geophysical Surveys depth of OB Geomechanical Characterisation of OB for stabilisation analysis. Monitoring of Slope movement

Major Works at Varunavat Area

S.No. Description of Work s
1 Varunawat Parvat Treatment Works

2
3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Additional and post Treatment Works

Miscellaneous Works Removal of Muck from Masjid Mohalla Barethi- Tekhla bye-pass road Gyansu Nala Treatment Relocation of Govt. Offices Relocation of Private Property Relocation of Commercial Property Relocation of Shops Rehabilitation of landslide affected villages of Bhatwari/Dunda

12
13

Rehabilitation of landslide affected villages of Naitwar & Fafrala

Construction of Roads & Bridges in Mori Tehsil

Treatment works at the Crown

DEVELOPMENT OF PLATFORMS AT EL 1670 AND 1710 IN THE ENTIRE LENGTH ACROSS THE AFFECTED ZONE. A TOTAL OF 1.51 LAC CUM LOOSE MATERIAL REMOVED FROM THE CROWN AREA AND 1.87 LAC CUM MUCK HAS BEEN REMOVED TILL 19 NOV. 2004. CONSTRUCTION OF EARTHEN DYKE ON THE EDGE OF THE PLATFORM 3-4 M HIGH.

REMOVAL OF DEBRIS LYING ON THE HIGHWAY AT THE TOE AND CONSTRUCTION OF PROTECTION DYKES BY WAY OF WIRE CRATES AND CONCRETE BLOCKS.
STRENGTHENING OF PROTECTION MEASURES IN THE BUFFER ZONE. CHANNELISING THE SURFACE RUN-OFF IN THE CROWN AREA TO AVOID ITS ENTRY INTO THE SURFACE CRACKS.

Treatment (contd.)
Grading of Slopes to ,300 between EL 1660m and EL 1800 with berms Development of Platform at the contact of OB/Rock at EL 1660m Weathered Rock mass strengthing at the Platform by Pile shafts and consolidation grouting Strengthening of rock mass with rock bolting, cable anchoring and reinforced shotcreting Laying geogrid at EL 1660m Development of contour drain on rocky slopes between EL 1650m and toe of hill connected with chute drains Main toe drain Retaining structure at the toe of the hill

Varunavat Landslides

Landslides along Chutes

Chutes due to landslides

Uttarkashi Township

varunavat Parvat - Pre September 2003 Landslide

Stabilisation by Geojute between EL 1790m to 1780m

Stabilisation of Overburden by Geogrid

Treatment at Crown

Geogrid treatment at Crown

NKA-2010

Cable Anchors at Crown

Stabilisation of Rocky Slopes by Rock bolts and shotcreting

Stabilisation by Cable Anchors

Excavation of Platform at Crown Area

Cellular Wall at Ram Lila Ground (settlement)

nk. agarwal Geo-Consultant & Advisor HIGEOS India