The role of landslides in mountain range evolution

Korup, Oliver; Densmore, Alexander L.; Schlunegger, Fritz

doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2009.09.017

Cited by 322 publications

(211 citation statements)

References 114 publications

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“…The geodynamically active Himalayan mountain range [1] is highly susceptible to mass wasting phenomena, particularly landslide [2] [3] which are generally recognised as important agents of mass wasting and hill slope evolution in mountainous regions [4]. Causes of landslides in this region are attributable to natural drivers such as the great relief, steep slopes, poor or youthful soil development, active tectonism, freeze-thaw processes at high altitudes and accelerated soil saturation and erosion due to high intensity monsoonal rains.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationship between Selected Physiographic Features and Landslide Occurrence around Four Hydropower Projects in Bhagirathi Valley of Uttarakhand, Western Himalaya, India

Ballabh¹,

Pillay²,

Negi³

et al. 2014

IJG

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The Himalayan mountain range is an internationally recognised landscape but one under increasing developmental threat. The lower Himalayan region possesses immense potential for hydropower generation but is also highly susceptible to tectonic deformation and mass wasting, especially landslides. Susceptibility to landslides increases markedly with human activity, especially large scale developmental projects. The impacts of massive hydropower plant construction in the Bhagirathi Valley, Uttarkhand, India on the generation of landslides are the focus of this study. Whilst many positive impacts derive from such projects, devastating negative impacts also accrue. The frequency and characteristics of land sliding within the sphere of influence of the construction sites of the various hydropower plant components were investigated. Landslide frequency was related to parameters of geology, prior land use, drainage density, slope steepness and location in terms of construction aspect. Landslide frequency was found to be greatest in gneissic terrain as well as on previously agricultural and forested lands. Statistical analysis revealed significant relationships between landslide frequency with slope and, frequency with construction aspect, especially the construction of access roads. As with other studies, road construction is the key initiator of land sliding due to slope over steepening and the indiscriminate dumping of debris. The study concludes with recommendations for reducing the frequency and magnitude of mass wasting in * Corresponding author.H. Ballabh et al. 1089 this environment.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationship between Selected Physiographic Features and Landslide Occurrence around Four Hydropower Projects in Bhagirathi Valley of Uttarakhand, Western Himalaya, India

Ballabh¹,

Pillay²,

Negi³

et al. 2014

IJG

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“…Korup et al, 2010;Larsen et al, 2010). Landslides occur in a variety of styles, dictated by a web of interrelated factors, including material properties (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Controls on the magnitude-frequency scaling of an inventory of secular landslides

et al. 2013

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Abstract. Linking landslide size and frequency is important at both human and geological timescales for quantifying both landslide hazards and the effectiveness of landslides in the removal of sediment from evolving landscapes. The statistical behaviour of the magnitude-frequency of landslide inventories is usually compiled following a particular triggering event such as an earthquake or storm, and their statistical behaviour is often characterised by a power-law relationship with a small landslide rollover. The occurrence of landslides is expected to be influenced by the material properties of rock and/or regolith in which failure occurs. Here we explore the statistical behaviour and the controls of a secular landslide inventory (SLI) (i.e. events occurring over an indefinite geological time period) consisting of mapped landslide deposits and their underlying lithology (bedrock or superficial) across the United Kingdom. The magnitude-frequency distribution of this secular inventory exhibits an inflected power-law relationship, well approximated by either an inverse gamma or double Pareto model. The scaling exponent for the power-law scaling of medium to large landslides is α = −1.71 ± 0.02. The small-event rollover occurs at a significantly higher magnitude (1.0-7.0 × 10 −3 km 2 ) than observed in single-event landslide records (∼ 4 × 10 −3 km 2 ). We interpret this as evidence of landscape annealing, from which we infer that the SLI underestimates the frequency of small landslides. This is supported by a subset of data where a complete landslide inventory was recently mapped. Large landslides also appear to be under-represented relative to model predictions. There are several possible reasons for this, including an incomplete data set, an incomplete landscape (i.e. relatively steep slopes are under-represented), and/or temporal transience in landslide activity during emergence from the last glacial maximum toward a generally more stable late-Holocene state. The proposed process of landscape annealing and the possibility of a transient hillslope response have the consequence that it is not possible to use the statistical properties of the current SLI database to rigorously constrain probabilities of future landslides in the UK.

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“…Landslide evolution in different environments plays a key role in investigating possible future urban development (e.g. Van Westen and Lulie Getahun 2003; Korup et al 2010;Giordan et al 2013). Studies of landslide evolution that improve the knowledge of ground movements are essential to understand the mechanism of deformation (Casson et al 2003) for landslide-prone territories to mitigate the associated risk and to prevent landslide occurrences or reactivations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multisource data integration to investigate one century of evolution for the Agnone landslide (Molise, southern Italy)

et al. 2018

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Landslides are one of the most relevant geohazards worldwide, causing direct and indirect costs and fatalities. Italy is one of the countries most affected by mass movements, and the Molise region, southern Italy, is known to be susceptible to erosional processes and landslides. In January 2003, a landslide in the municipality of Agnone, in the Colle Lapponi-Piano Ovetta (CL-PO) territory, occurred causing substantial damage to both structures and civil infrastructure. To investigate the evolution of the landslide-affected catchment over approximately one century, different data were taken into account: (i) literature information at the beginning of the twentieth century; (ii) historical sets of aerial optical photographs to analyse the geomorphological evolution from 1945 to 2003; (iii) SAR (Synthetic Aperture Radar) data from the ERS1/2, ENVISAT and COSMO-SkyMed satellites to monitor the displacement from 1992 to 2015; (iv) traditional measurements carried out through geological and geomorphological surveys, inclinometers and GPS campaigns to characterize the geological setting of the area; and (v) recent optical photographs of the catchment area to determine the enlargement of the landslide. Using the structure from motion technique, a 3D reconstruction of each set of historical aerial photographs was made to investigate the geomorphological evolution and to trace the boundary of the mass movements. As a result, the combination of multitemporal and multitechnique analysis of the evolution of the CL-PO landslide enabled an assessment of the landslide expansion, which resulted in a maximum length of up to approximately 1500 m. A complete investigation of the past and present deformational sequences of the area was performed to potentially plan further mitigation and prevention strategies to avoid possible reactivations.

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The role of landslides in mountain range evolution

Cited by 322 publications

References 114 publications

Relationship between Selected Physiographic Features and Landslide Occurrence around Four Hydropower Projects in Bhagirathi Valley of Uttarakhand, Western Himalaya, India

Relationship between Selected Physiographic Features and Landslide Occurrence around Four Hydropower Projects in Bhagirathi Valley of Uttarakhand, Western Himalaya, India

Controls on the magnitude-frequency scaling of an inventory of secular landslides

Multisource data integration to investigate one century of evolution for the Agnone landslide (Molise, southern Italy)

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