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Landslides and Granular Flows on Earth

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A special issue of Geosciences (ISSN 2076-3263). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Hazards".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2020) | Viewed by 14844

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Dr. Antoine Lucas

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Guest Editor

Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris, French National Centre for Scientific Research, 75016 Paris, France
Interests: remote sensing; photogrammetry; sediment transport; planetary sciences; landslides; dunes

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As major agents of erosion and sediment supply to rivers, landslides and debris flows are some of the most efficient physical processes that shape the Earth’s surface, making them critical for landscape evolution. In addition, although landslides affect only a small proportion of the landscape, bedrock (i.e., deep-seated) landslides can promote the percolation of surface runoff in highly fragmented rock debris and then create favourable conditions for chemical weathering, the major geological sink of atmospheric CO2. Furthermore, soil carbon stocks are completely disturbed during landsliding. These two observations of enhanced weathering and soil carbon release testify for the link between landsliding and the global carbon cycle.

It is thus critical for risk assessment (i.e., social and economic issues) as well as for a better understanding of landscape evolution and of the relationships between erosion and the C cycle to (1) characterize how climate change modifies the frequency and magnitude of landslides in tropical regions, (2) estimate the volume and mass flux generated by landslide events, and (3) appraise the influence of landslides in long-term landform evolution and continent–ocean–atmosphere carbon cycle. Such a task can be successfully completed only through an integrated approach combining remote sensing techniques (spatial and temporal dynamics of mass wasting from imagery and seismic signals) with in situ measurements (i.e., river fluxes and geochemical analyses) in regards to more fundamental considerations (i.e., behaviour laws).

The last decade has seen the emergence of new means of observation with the massive arrival of the use of drones, offering unprecedented resolution. In addition, theoretical developments have led to the formulation of new laws of behaviour to better explain the spread of landslides. In addition, seismic signal analysis now allows us to trace back to essential elements of their dynamics such as speed changes during the flow phase. Nevertheless, many analyses focusing on one or a few examples do not systematically allow us to draw general lessons about the mechanisms at work and thus to deduce generalities. We are therefore at a crossroads, where it is necessary to bring together our knowledge and understanding of these issues.

In this special issue, we offer you the opportunity to contribute to a holistic vision of slope instabilities by integrating the most innovative research on their short-term dynamics as well as their impacts on landscape dynamics in the longer term. The aim is to provide readers with an overview that integrates work in geomorphology, geochemistry, and geophysics. Therefore, I appeal to the community to take up this great challenge.

Dr. Antoine Lucas
Guest Editor

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Keywords

landslide
observation
remote sensing
weathering
seismology
modelling
observatories
landscape
river
coupling
climate
geochemistry

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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21 pages, 38073 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Impact of Quality of Digital Elevation Models on the Result of Landslide Susceptibility Modeling Using the Method of Weights of Evidence

by Mirosław Kamiński

Geosciences 2020, 10(12), 488; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences10120488 - 3 Dec 2020

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 2484

Abstract

The paper discusses the impact that the quality of the digital elevation model (DEM) has on the final result of landslide susceptibility modeling (LSM). The landslide map was developed on the basis of the analysis of archival geological maps and the Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) digital elevation model. In addition, complementary field studies were conducted. In total, 92 landslides were inventoried and their degree of activity was assessed. An inventory of the landslides was prepared using a 1-m-LiDAR DEM and field research. Two digital photogrammetric elevation models with an elevation pixel resolution of 20 m were used for landslide susceptibility modeling. The first digital elevation model was obtained from a LiDAR point cloud (DEM–airborne laser scanning (ALS)), while the second model was developed based on archival digital stereo-pair aerial images (DEM–Land Parcel Identification System (LPIS)). Both models were subjected to filtration using a Gaussian low-pass filter to reduce errors in their elevation relief. Then, using ArcGIS software, a differential model was generated to illustrate the differences in morphology between the models. The maximum differences in topographic elevations between the DEM–ALS and DEM–LPIS models were calculated. The Weights-of-Evidence model is a geostatistical method used for the landslide susceptibility modeling. Six passive factors were employed in the process of susceptibility generation: elevation, slope gradient, exposure, topographic roughness index (TRI), distance from tectonic lines, and distance from streams. As a result, two landslide susceptibility maps (LSM) were obtained. The accuracy of the landslide susceptibility models was assessed based on the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve index. The area under curve (AUC) values obtained from the ROC curve indicate that the accuracy of classification for the LSM–DEM–ALS model was 78%, and for the LSM–LPIS–DEM model was 73%. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landslides and Granular Flows on Earth)

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20 pages, 5867 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Linking Soil Hydrology and Creep: A Northern Andes Case

by Aleen Pertuz-Paz, Gaspar Monsalve, Juan Carlos Loaiza-Úsuga, José Humberto Caballero-Acosta, Laura Inés Agudelo-Vélez and Roy C. Sidle

Geosciences 2020, 10(11), 472; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences10110472 - 21 Nov 2020

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2548

Abstract

Soil creep is common along the hillslopes of the tropical Andes of Colombia, where very heterogeneous soils develop on old debris flow deposits and are subjected to abundant rainfall with a bimodal annual regime. In particular, the western hillside of the city of Medellín, Colombia, is comprised of a series of debris and earth flow deposits in which landslides and soil creep are common. To explore linkages between soil creep and hydrology, we selected an experimental site in the western hillslope of the Medellín valley to assess the behavior of water within the soil mass, its relationship with rainfall, and its connection with soil displacement. In experimental plots, we systematically measured runoff, percolation, water table levels, and volumetric water content, for a period of almost 2 years; we also conducted several alti-planimetric positioning surveys to estimate relative displacements of the soil surface. Moisture content of the soil remained above field capacity for most of the year (~68% of the time) and active and quasi-permanent lateral subsurface flow occurred within the upper 80 cm of the profile. The shallow flow likely facilitates the downslope movement. Additionally, our results suggest that displacement magnitudes are largest during the wet season of September–October–November, when a highly humid soil experiences changes in water content, so it is during this time that the effects of expansion / contraction of the soil particles (associated to wetting / drying cycles) contribute the most to the movement. This observational study represents a contribution to the understanding of soil creep in tropical hillslopes, where it responds to the wetting / drying cycles, with the particularities of a rainy weather (>1500 mm/year), warm temperatures (~22 °C on average), and a bimodal precipitation seasonality. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landslides and Granular Flows on Earth)

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35 pages, 2327 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Operational Estimation of Landslide Runout: Comparison of Empirical and Numerical Methods

by Marc Peruzzetto, Anne Mangeney, Gilles Grandjean, Clara Levy, Yannick Thiery, Jérémy Rohmer and Antoine Lucas

Geosciences 2020, 10(11), 424; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences10110424 - 26 Oct 2020

Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3426

Abstract

A key point of landslide hazard assessment is the estimation of their runout. Empirical relations linking angle of reach to volume can be used relatively easily, but they are generally associated with large uncertainties as they do not consider the topographic specificity of a given study site. On the contrary, numerical simulations provide more detailed results on the deposits morphology, but their rheological parameters can be difficult to constrain. Simulating all possible values can be time consuming and incompatible with operational requirements of rapid estimations. We propose and compare three operational methods to derive scaling power laws relating the landslide travel distance to the destabilized volume. The first one relies only on empirical relations, the second one on numerical simulations with back-analysis, and the third one combines both approaches. Their efficiency is tested on three case studies: the Samperre cliff collapses in Martinique, Lesser Antilles (0.5 to

4 \times 10^{6}

^{3}

), the Frank Slide rock avalanche (

36 \times 10^{6}

^{3}

) and the Samperre cliff collapses in Martinique, Lesser Antilles (0.5 to

4 \times 10^{6}

^{3}

) the Fei Tsui debris slide in Hong Kong (

0.014 \times 10^{6}

^{3}

). Purely numerical estimations yield the smallest uncertainty, but the uncertainty on rheological parameters is difficult to quantify. Combining numerical and empirical approaches allows to reduce the uncertainty of estimation by up to 50%, in comparison to purely empirical estimations. However, it may also induces a bias in the estimation, though observations always lie in the 95% prediction intervals. We also show that empirical estimations fail to model properly the dependence between volume and travel distance, particularly for small landslides (<20,000

< 0.02 \times 10^{6}

^{3}

). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landslides and Granular Flows on Earth)

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23 pages, 6695 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Stabilization of Landslides Sliding Layer Using Electrokinetic Phenomena and Vacuum Treatment

by Janusz Ukleja

Geosciences 2020, 10(8), 284; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences10080284 - 25 Jul 2020

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2617

Abstract

The article presents the efficiency of application of cohesive soil dewatering for increasing its resistance to shearing, which influences the mass stability of flysch rock. Studies of the typical soil constituting the contact layer initiating the sliding of existing Carpathian flysch landslides were conducted. This aspect was examined because the water content of this soil decides its ability to form a sliding surface of the landslide block soil. The soil was subjected to changes in water content by dewatering with different methods. The influence of dewatering by self-acting gravitational outflow was examined and was additionally aided by two selected methods: electrokinetic phenomena and vacuum treatment. The model study conducted demonstrates the influence of the abovementioned dewatering methods on increasing the strength parameter of the soil at the contact layer in which sliding surfaces can be created. The paper also demonstrates the degree to which the application of the vacuum and electrokinetic treatment caused by DC current voltage influences the draining, decrease of plasticity, and increase of soil shear stress resistance. The application conditions and increase in effectiveness due to the application of the studied methods were determined. The proposed methods allowed for the strengthening of slopes for two exemplary landslides which formed in the area of occurrence of the Carpathian flysch. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landslides and Granular Flows on Earth)

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Review

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27 pages, 8530 KiB

Open AccessReview

Debris Flows Occurrence in the Semiarid Central Andes under Climate Change Scenario

by Stella M. Moreiras, Sergio A. Sepúlveda, Mariana Correas-González, Carolina Lauro, Iván Vergara, Pilar Jeanneret, Sebastián Junquera-Torrado, Jaime G. Cuevas, Antonio Maldonado, José L. Antinao and Marisol Lara

Geosciences 2021, 11(2), 43; https://doi.org/10.3390/geosciences11020043 - 22 Jan 2021

Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3141

Abstract

This review paper compiles research related to debris flows and hyperconcentrated flows in the central Andes (30°–33° S), updating the knowledge of these phenomena in this semiarid region. Continuous records of these phenomena are lacking through the Andean region; intense precipitations, sudden snowmelt, increased temperatures on high relief mountain areas, and permafrost degradation are related to violent flow discharges. Documented catastrophic consequences related to these geoclimatic events highlight the need to improve their understanding in order to prepare the Andean communities for this latent danger. An amplified impact is expected not only due to environmental changes potentially linked to climate change but also due to rising exposure linked to urban expansion toward more susceptible or unstable areas. This review highlights as well the need for the implementation of preventive measures to reduce the negative impacts and vulnerability of the Andean communities in the global warming context. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Landslides and Granular Flows on Earth)

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