Keywords

These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

Introduction

Volume 2 of the Fourth World Landslide Forum to be held in Ljubljana, Slovenia focuses on the advances in landslide science. Of this volume, Session 2 concentrates on landslide investigation with focus in field investigations and laboratory testing. Of the full paper submissions received, 30 papers were accepted for publication within this session. This would not have been possible without the efforts of the authors, who choose to submit their work to this event as well as the reviewers, who spent their valuable time critically examining each paper and providing detailed feedback. The result is evident in the 30 papers, which examine a variety of issues and challenges faced with landslide investigation and stability analysis. In particular, the papers present the findings of a variety of topics that include the following:

  • Hazard assessment, management, and mapping,

  • Case studies of recent landslides and land masses with on-going movements,

  • Geotechnical properties of soils under a variety of conditions and their effect on the stability of slopes and characteristics of debris flows,

  • Model tests to examine depositional patterns and runout velocities of debris flows,

  • Physical experiments examining internal erosion and piping of landslide dams,

  • Techniques to reconstruct slip surfaces and rapidly detect landslides,

  • Hydrogeology characteristics to obtain the flow behavior, and

  • Factors triggering the occurrence of landslides in various regions.

Case Studies

Case studies of recent landslides and land masses with continued movement submitted in this session come from across the world including:

  • Shallow landslides in Southeast Slovenia,

  • Pajonales Landslide in the Canary Islands,

  • Jastrzębia Góra cliff in Northern Poland,

  • Rock slope at Strecno Castle in Slovakia,

  • Complex landslides in Northern Italy,

  • Chandmari Landslide in Northeastern India,

  • Landslides in Tianshui area in China,

  • Railway Embankment failure in Bogor, Indonesia,

  • Rock slides in Gran Canaria, Spain,

  • Sebrango Landslide in Spain,

  • Complex rock-debris avalanches, debris flows and earth slumps in Nigeria,

  • Pechgraben Landslide in Upper Austria,

  • Landslide at Bumi Waluya Railway Station in Indonesia,

  • Succiso Landslide in Northern Apennines, Italy,

  • Translation slide in Göynüklü Village, Turkey, and

  • Dukati Landslide in Albania.

Papers accepted in this session contain the details of each of these case histories including the characteristics of the slide, the properties obtained, and the resulting stability analyses. Several of the papers also provide the details of the countermeasures designed and/or implemented.

Papers Related to Other Topics

Other papers in this session are related to:

  • The kinematic and sediment discharge of an earth flow in Southern Italy. The authors find that the earth flow activity influences the sediment discharge observed.

  • The effect of wetting and drying cycles on the shear strength of clayey soils found in the Three Gorges reservoir area. The paper concludes that the shear strength reduces after the soils experience wetting and drying cycles. The differences in the observed behavior are found to be related to the clay fraction, percentage of active clay minerals and rock fragments.

  • Risk analysis and assessment from landslides in urban territories. The authors use techniques to identify hot spots of the highest risk in Moscow.

  • The use of 3D remote sensing images and field sketching techniques along a segment of the Eastern Desert Sohag-Red Sea-Cairo highway in Egypt. In this paper, the authors develop new techniques to identify debris flow and rock falls/sliding sand along the studied segment to assist with remediation strategies.

  • Flume experiments to understand the characteristics of debris flows. The paper finds that velocity of the debris flows will be related to the slope of the flume, while the runout length and width are influenced by both the flume slope and the debris flow composition.

  • Heterogeneous data storage systems. The authors present the architecture, features and performance of a system they developed to capture, process and retrieve high process data for use in landslide laboratories.

  • Internal erosion and piping failures in landslide dams. The authors linked the emergence of an effluent seepage of high turbidity at the downstream face to the gradual settlement of the dam.

  • The rheological parameters of debris flows.

  • The application of DIKW model for landslide research.

  • Landslide forecasting models. The authors found substantial improvements in the forecasting shallow landslides using the HIRESSS model.

  • The use of the H/V technique for rapid detection of landslide slip surfaces. In the paper, the authors determine the number of measurements beyond which additional information is redundant.

  • Geomorphologic and structural controls of landslides in Nigeria.

  • Groundwater flow behavior in a landslide area. The authors conclude that along with the infiltration of fresh rainwater, the effect of groundwater flow from a deeper layer should also be considered in the stability analyses.

  • Integration of 3D geological-geophysical models.

  • Delineation of endangered areas. The paper finds that the Pressure Probe method is the most powerful in mapping the fracture systems of slowly moving landslides.

  • The occurrence of reservoir landslides. The authors of this paper conclude that the susceptibility of a landslide is dependent on the presence of favorable geological conditions, but the occurrence of the reservoir landslides will depend on the fluctuations of the water levels in the reservoir.

Concluding Remarks

Thirty papers were accepted for publication in Session 2—Landslide Investigation: Field Investigations, Laboratory Testing of Volume 2: Advances in Landslide Science of the Fourth World Landslide Forum. The efforts of the many reviewers, who volunteered their time, to critically examine each paper are appreciated. The papers cover a variety of topics including characteristics and triggering factors of landslides, landslide dams, and debris flows around the world, hazard assessment and management, geological and geophysical surveys for model reconstruction, and variation in shear strength due to wetting and drying cycles as well as swelling and desiccation.