Imam 

A. Sadisun, Dr. Eng. 
Kelompok Keilmuan Geologi Terapan 
Fakultas Ilmu dan Teknologi Kebumian 
Institut Teknologi Bandung 

 Pengertian Dasar  
 Identifikasi Longsoran   
 Faktor Penyebab Longsoran 
 Stabilisasi Lereng 
 Catatan Penutup 

EngGeo Laboratory

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 What is the LANDSLIDE?

Geologists, engineers,
and other professionals
often rely on unique and
slightly differing
definitions of landslides.

EngGeo Laboratory

Namely various types of gravitational

mass movements were integrated in the
category of “Landslides”, even some
movements are not “Slide”. Cruden
(1991) explained that an English word
combining two words can express
something different from original two
words. Thus, landslide is not always
necessary to be “Slide of Land”.

EngGeo Laboratory

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 ….. is the process by which earth
materials (bedrock, unconsolidated
sediments and soils) are transported
down slopes by gravity.
- David J. Varnes, 1978: Slope movement type and process -

….. the movement of a mass of rocks,

debris or earth down a slope.
- David M. Cruden, 1991: A simple definition of a landslide -

EngGeo Laboratory

EngGeo Laboratory Landslide Science as a new integrated discipline (Sassa, 2007) 

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EngGeo Laboratory Geologic conditions and typical forms of slope failures (Hunt, 1984, 2002) 

EngGeo Laboratory Comparison of elements of geological and engineering failure forms 

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 Indonesia is a risk prone
country from landslide disaster.
Landslide mostly occur at
areas having steep to very
steep slopes, intensive
weathering processes, and
high rainfall density.

EngGeo Laboratory

EngGeo Laboratory (Djadja and Suparman/ CVGHM,  2008)  

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 Slope instabilities
are a major hazard
often causing
economic losses,
property damage
and maintenance
costs, as well as
injuries or fatalities.
EngGeo Laboratory

Only an accurate
diagnosis makes it
possible to properly
understand the landslide
mechanisms and thence
to propose effective
remedial measures.

EngGeo Laboratory

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 Landslide feature ……

A simple illustration of a rotational landslide that has evolved into an earthflow. Image illustrates
commonly used labels for the parts of a landslide (from Varnes, 1978)

EngGeo Laboratory

Landslide anatomy ……
No. Name
1 Crown
2 Main Scarp
3 Top
4 Head
5 Minor Scarp
6 Main Body
7 Foot
8 Tip
9 Toe
10 Surface of Rupture

EngGeo Laboratory

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 Landslide anatomy ……
No. Name
11 Toe of Surface of Rupture
12 Surface of Separation
13 Displaced Material
14 Zone of Depletion
15 Zone of Accumulation
16 Depletion
17 Depleted Mass
18 Accumulation
19 Flank
20 Original Ground Surface

EngGeo Laboratory

Landslide dimension ……
1
Vol ls  D rW r Lr
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No. Nama
1 Width of displaced mass (Wd)
2 Width of surface of rupture (Wr)

3 Length of displaced mass (Ld)

4 Length of surface of rupture (Lr)

5 Depth of displaced mass (Dd)

6 Depth of surface of rupture (Dr)

7 Total length (L)
8 Length of center line (Lc)

EngGeo Laboratory

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 Type of landslide movement
• Falls
• Topples
• Slides
• Lateral spreads
• Flows

EngGeo Laboratory

EngGeo Laboratory

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 Landslide velocity scale (Cruden and Varnes, 1996)

EngGeo Laboratory

Abbreviated classification of slope movements

(Cruden and Varnes, 1996)
Type of Material
Type of Engineering Soils
Movement
Bedrock Predominantly Predominantly
Coarse Fine
Fall Rock fall Debris fall Earth fall
Topple Rock topple Debris topple Earth topple
Slide Rock slide Debris slide Earth slide
Spread Rock spread Debris spread Earth spread
Flow Rock flow Debris flow Earth flow

EngGeo Laboratory

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 Landslide mechanism ……

EngGeo Laboratory

An accurate diagnosis makes it also

possible to properly identify the
landslide causal factors and thence to
propose effective remedial measures.
EngGeo Laboratory

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EngGeo Laboratory An illustration of places in where the landslide occurred  

Landslide processes …..

The processes
involved in slope
movements
comprise a
continuous series
of events from
cause to effect
(Varnes, 1978).

EngGeo Laboratory

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 Terzaghi (1950) divided landslide causes into:
 External causes which result in an increase of
the shearing stress (e.g. geometrical changes,
unloading the slope toe, loading the slope crest,
shocks and vibrations, drawdown, changes in
water regime)
 Internal causes which result in a decrease of
the shearing resistance (e.g. progressive failure,
weathering, seepage erosion).
EngGeo Laboratory

However, Varnes (1978) pointed

out there are a number of external
or internal causes which may be
operating either to reduce the
shearing resistance or to increase
the shearing stress.

EngGeo Laboratory

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 The causal factors of landslides can be
classified into two groups on the basis of
their function:
 Preparatory causal factors which
make the slope susceptible to
movement without actually
initiating it and thereby tending to
place the slope in a marginally
stable state.
 Triggering causal factors which
initiate movement. The causal
factors shift the slope from a
marginally stable to an actively
unstable state.

EngGeo Laboratory

EngGeo Laboratory An example of changes in the factor of safety with time (Popescu, 2006) 

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 Cruden and Varnes (1996) provided three broad
types of the causes of landslide which are:
 Increase shear stresses
 Contribute to low strength
 Reduce material strength

EngGeo Laboratory

Shear stresses can be

increased by processes
that lead to removal of
lateral support, by the
imposition of surcharges,
by transitory stresses
resulting from explosions or
earthquakes, and by uplift
or tilting of the land surface.

EngGeo Laboratory

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 Low strength of the soil or
rock materials that
make up a landslide may
reflect inherent material
characteristics or may
result from the presence of
discontinuities within the
soil or rock mass.

EngGeo Laboratory

Clays are particularly prone

to weathering processes
and other physicochemical
reactions, which in turn may
lead reduced shear strength,
such as by hydration of clay
minerals, fissuring of clays,
cracking along preexisting
discontinuities, and dissolve
natural rock cements.

EngGeo Laboratory

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 When preparing a
Landslide Report for
a particular site, of
primary importance is
the recognition of the
landslide processes
and the conditions
which caused the slope
to become unstable.

EngGeo Laboratory

The technical solution

must be in harmony
with the natural system,
otherwise the remedial
work will be either short
lived or excessively
expensive.

EngGeo Laboratory

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 Correction of an existing landslide or
the prevention of a pending landslide
or slope instability is a function of:
• a reduction in the driving forces, or
• an increase in the available
resisting forces.

EngGeo Laboratory Basic concept of landslide remedial measure 

The measures are arranged in four

practical groups, namely:
1. Modification of slope geometry
2. Drainage
3. Retaining structures
4. Internal slope reinforcement.

EngGeo Laboratory IUGS WG/L Commission on Landslide Remediation (Popescu, 2001) 

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 1. Modification of Slope Geometry
1.1 Removing material from the area driving the landslide (with possible
substitution by lightweight fill)
1.2 Adding material to the area maintaining stability (counterweight berm
or fill)
1.3 Reducing general slope angle

EngGeo Laboratory A brief list of landslide remedial measures (Popescu, 2001)  

2. Drainage
2.1 Surface drains to divert water from flowing onto the slide area
(collecting ditches and pipes)
2.2 Shallow or deep trench drains filled with free-draining geomaterials
(coarse granular fills and geosynthetics)
2.3 Buttress counterforts of coarse-grained materials (hydrological effect)
2.4 Vertical (small diameter) boreholes with pumping or self draining
2.5 Vertical (large diameter) wells with gravity draining
2.6 Subhorizontal or subvertical boreholes
2.7 Drainage tunnels, galleries or adits
2.8 Vacuum dewatering
2.9 Drainage by siphoning
2.10 Electro-osmotic dewatering
2.11 Vegetation planting (hydrological effect)

EngGeo Laboratory A brief list of landslide remedial measures (Popescu, 2001)  

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 3. Retaining Structures
3.1 Gravity retaining walls
3.2 Crib-block walls
3.3 Gabion walls
3.4 Passive piles, piers and caissons
3.5 Cast-in situ reinforced concrete walls
3.6 Reinforced earth retaining structures with strip/ sheet -
polymer/metallic reinforcement elements
3.7 Buttress counterforts of coarse-grained material
(mechanical effect)
3.8 Retention nets for rock slope faces
3.9 Rockfall attenuation or stopping systems (rocktrap ditches,
benches, fences and walls
3.10 Protective rock/concrete blocks against erosion

EngGeo Laboratory A brief list of landslide remedial measures (Popescu, 2001)  

4. Internal Slope Reinforcement

4.1 Rock bolts
4.2 Micropiles
4.3 Soil nailing
4.4 Anchors (prestressed or not)
4.5 Grouting
4.6 Stone or lime/cement columns
4.7 Heat treatment
4.8 Freezing
4.9 Electroosmotic anchors
4.10 Vegetation planting (root strength mechanical effect)

EngGeo Laboratory A brief list of landslide remedial measures (Popescu, 2001)  

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 Complex remedial measure
works in Constantza city
area, Romanian Black Sea
shore (Popescu, 1996).

EngGeo Laboratory

Rock mass
classification can be
a way of evaluating
the performance of
rock cut slopes,
based on the most
important inherent
and structural
parameters.

EngGeo Laboratory

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EngGeo Laboratory Suggested supports for various SMR classes 

EngGeo Laboratory Suggested supports for various SMR classes 

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 Selection of an appropriate remedial
measure depends on:
 engineering feasibility
 economic feasibility
 legal/regulatory conformity
 social acceptability
 environmental acceptability

EngGeo Laboratory

Landslides often are

characterized as local
problems, but their
effects and costs
frequently cross local
jurisdictions and may
become provincial or
even national problems.

EngGeo Laboratory

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 Only an accurate
diagnosis makes it
possible to properly
understand the
landslide features,
mechanisms and
causal factors thence
to propose effective
remedial measures.

EngGeo Laboratory

sadisun@gmail.com 

EngGeo Laboratory

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