LAND SLIDES

DR. ADNAN KHAN

DEPARTMENT OF GEOLOGY
UNIVERSITY OF KARACHI
 LAND SLIDES

“A large mass of rocks and earth that suddenly and quickly

moves down the side of a mountain or hill”

Gravity is the primary driving force for a landslide to occur,

but there are other factors affecting slope stability that
produce specific conditions that make a slope prone to
failure.
Landslide
  or slip is a geological phenomenon that
includes a wide range of ground movements.

In many cases, the landslide is triggered by a specific

event (such as a heavy rainfall, an earthquake, a
slope cut to build a road, and many others).

Landslides can occur in offshore, coastal and onshore

environment
Earth material on slopes may fail and
move/deform in following ways

Flowage
Sliding
Falling
Subsidence
Flow
Slide
Fall
 SLOPE STABILITY

The potential of soil covered slopes to withstand

and undergo movement.

• ➢ Stability is determined by the balance of shear

stress and shear strength

• ➢ It depends on forces on the slope

Slope stability is controlled by

•➢ Relief
•➢ Material strength
•➢ Soil water content
•➢ Vegetation
 Design Factor of Safety
•Factor of safety = Resisting forces
Driving forces
•Minimum FS = 1.25 for highway side slopes.

•Use FS = 1.3 to 1.5 for critical slopes such as

end slopes under abutments, slopes containing
footings, major retaining structures.
INTERVAL
COMMON ALONG BEDDING
PLANE, CLAY PARTINGS, COMMON IN SOIL
FOLIATION
ROLE OF FOLLOWING FACTORS IN LAND SLIDE

•a) Earth material type

•b) Slope and Topography
•c) Climate and vegetation
•d) Water
•e) Time
 Earth Material Type

Strength of stock material influence magnitude and frequency of load slide

Soil mainly cause rotational slides

Permeable Rock (Sand stone) overlies weak (shale) Rock = Rock Slump

Very resistant rock overlies low resistance rock = Under Cutting causes
slab failure

Soil slip are much common on shale and Pyroclastic material then on
sandstone or limestone.
 Slope and Topography

Slope angle ∝ driving force

• Slope angle greatly affects the relative magnitude of driving

forces on slopes.
• Rock fall and debris avalanches are associated with very steep
slope.
• Soil slips are more common on steep saturated slopes.
• Soil slips may transform to debris flow and harm.
 Climate and Vegetation

 Moisture content (driving force) is controlled by

climate.

Earth flow (usually occur on slope )- Mud flow

(Initially confined to channels).

Earth flow common and mud flow rare in humid

climate.
 Reason for vegetation as significant factor for slope
stability

Facilitated rain water for infiltration retard grain erosion.

Post system provides cohesion to slope material.

Vegetation adds weight to the slope.

Vegetation removal decreases transpiration resulting in more

water retention in soil leading to decrease resisting force.
Why landslide occurred?
 Role of Time
Forces on the slope changes by time.

Both driving and resisting forces may

dominate over each other by the time
 Why mud flow rare in humid climate?
• Humid regions have many perennial streams that
continuously transport material delivered from
slopes so little is available in for mobilization in mud
flow.
• Vegetation in area is a function of:
• 1) Climate
• 2) Soil type
• 3) Topography
• 4) Fire history
END