Landslide Process Revealed by Mineralogical Properties of Landslide Deposits in the Sa Pa District, Vietnam

Abstract

Hau Thao Village is located in Sa Pa Prefecture, in northern Vietnam. The village contains one of the most picturesque landscapes with terraced paddy fields located in landslide topography formed on a gentle slope. However, the creation of the topography has not been sufficiently clarified. In this study, samples of soil and stone are taken from two landslide areas in Hau Thao Village for mineral composition analysis, clarifying that the sauce rock of the deposits comprising the landslide areas is made up of granitoids, forming the upper slope above the fault located in the hinterland. The landslides occurring in Hau Thao Village are caused by the remobilization of the secondary deposits transported from the upper part of the slope by debris flow.