Towards a general model of quick clay development

Torrance, J. Kenneth

doi:10.1111/j.1365-3091.1983.tb00692.x

Cited by 110 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 36 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…In general, the landslidesusceptible glaciomarine deposits in eastern Canada are characterized by high moisture content (often in excess of the liquid limit), and by their often high sensitivity resulting from their relatively high intact shear strength and often negligible remoulded strength. These properties develop because of flocculated texture, high void ratio, weak bonded structure, and possibly leaching of electrolytic pore water and bond dissolution in the clay (Mitchell and Klugman, 1979;Quigley, 1980;Torrance, 1983Torrance, , 1999. A characteristic feature of the highly sensitive or "quick" clays is their propensity to liquefy and flow when remoulded during landsliding.…”

Section: Gauthier and D J Hutchinson: Evaluation Of Potential Mementioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of potential meteorological triggers of large landslides in sensitive glaciomarine clay, eastern Canada

Gauthier

Hutchinson

2012

Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract. Heavy rains spread over some interval preceding large landslides in sensitive glaciomarine clay in eastern Canada are often noted as a triggering or causative factor in case studies or research reports for individual landslides, although the quantity or duration of the triggering rain event has never been characterized adequately. We selected five large landslide events that occurred in the glaciomarine clay in eastern Canada, and calculated cumulative antecedent precipitation for intervals ranging between one and 365 days preceding each event. We also calculated the antecedent precipitation values for every other day in the record, and computed the relative rank of the landslide day within the complete record. Our results show that several intervals for each landslide event are highly ranked -including those preceding a presumably earthquake-triggered landslide -but overall the rankings were highly variable, ranging between 99 % and 6 %. The set of highest-ranking intervals are unique for each event, including both short and long-term cumulative precipitation. All of the landslides occurred in the spring months, and the release of sequestered surface and ground water during the spring ground thaw may be related to the timing of the large landslides, so that the evolution of ground frost in the early winter may be of interest for landslide prediction. We found no simple precipitation threshold for triggering large landslides in sensitive glaciomarine clay in eastern Canada, suggesting that some complex temporal and spatial combination of pre-conditions, external energy (e.g. earthquakes), precipitation triggers and other factors such as ground frost formation and thaw are required to trigger a landslide.

show abstract

Section: Gauthier and D J Hutchinson: Evaluation Of Potential Mementioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluation of potential meteorological triggers of large landslides in sensitive glaciomarine clay, eastern Canada

Gauthier

Hutchinson

2012

Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Leaching is one factor influencing quick clay formation (Torrance, 1983(Torrance, , 2014Andersson-Sköld et al, 2005), and it has been recognized as the key factor in quick clay formation in the Göta River valley (Rankka et al, 2004). Quick clays are common in the whole valley and they reach a higher spatial frequency north of Lilla Edet (AA.VV., 2012), where the majority of landslides are localized.…”

Section: Study Area and Data Descriptionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Application of a fast and efficient algorithm to assess landslide-prone areas in sensitive clays in Sweden

Melchiorre

Tryggvason

2015

Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Abstract.We refine and test an algorithm for landslide susceptibility assessment in areas with sensitive clays. The algorithm uses soil data and digital elevation models to identify areas which may be prone to landslides and has been applied in Sweden for several years. The algorithm is very computationally efficient and includes an intelligent filtering procedure for identifying and removing small-scale artifacts in the hazard maps produced. Where information on bedrock depth is available, this can be included in the analysis, as can information on several soil-type-based cross-sectional angle thresholds for slip. We evaluate how processing choices such as of filtering parameters, local cross-sectional angle thresholds, and inclusion of bedrock depth information affect model performance. The specific cross-sectional angle thresholds used were derived by analyzing the relationship between landslide scarps and the quick-clay susceptibility index (QCSI). We tested the algorithm in the Göta River valley. Several different verification measures were used to compare results with observed landslides and thereby identify the optimal algorithm parameters. Our results show that even though a relationship between the cross-sectional angle threshold and the QCSI could be established, no significant improvement of the overall modeling performance could be achieved by using these geographically specific, soil-based thresholds. Our results indicate that lowering the cross-sectional angle threshold from 1 : 10 (the general value used in Sweden) to 1 : 13 improves results slightly. We also show that an application of the automatic filtering procedure that removes areas initially classified as prone to landslides not only removes artifacts and makes the maps visually more appealing, but it also improves the model performance.

show abstract

“…At that time, the area was a fjord connected to the sea, implying that these landslides may be glaciomarine in origin. For sensitivity to develop, the salt content of the porewater needs to be lowered from some initial 30 g L −1 to b 1 g L −1 (Torrance, 1983), by the leaching or diffusion of freshwater. This is often achieved by precipitation, which is only relevant for subaerial deposits, but could also be achieved through upward, artesian flows of freshwater as described by La Rochelle et al (1970) in Quebec.…”

Section: Subbottom Acoustic Evidence Of Landslidesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sensitivity is defined as the ratio of the undisturbed shear strength and the disturbed shear strength. When remoulded shear strength is b0.5 kPa and sensitivity exceeds 30, the deposits are called quick clays and sensitivity develops due to the removal of salt from the porewater (Torrance, 1983).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Sensitive clays are largely restricted to uplifted glaciomarine sediments in a few areas of the globe, but they are most common in Canada, Alaska, and Norway (Torrance, 1983). Clays may be described as sensitive when the undisturbed strength is greater than the disturbed (remoulded) strength, where the remoulded material can behave as a fluid (Geertsema and Torrance, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Sensitive clay landslide detection and characterization in and around Lakelse Lake, British Columbia, Canada

Geertsema

Blais-Stevens

Kwoll

et al. 2018

Sedimentary Geology

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Lakelse Lake area in northwestern British Columbia, Canada, has a long history, and prehistory, of rapid sensitive clay landslides moving on very low gradients. However, until now, many landslides have gone undetected. We use an array of modern tools to identify hitherto unknown or poorly known landslide deposits, including acoustic subbottom profiles, multibeam sonar, and LiDAR. The combination of these methods reveals not only landslide deposits, but also geomorphic and sedimentologic structures that give clues about landslide type and mode of emplacement. LiDAR and bathymetric data reveal the areal extent of landslide deposits as well as the orientation of ridges that differentiate between spreading and flowing kinematics. The subbottom profiles show two-dimensional structures of disturbed landslide deposits, including horst and grabens indicative of landslides classified as spreads. A preliminary computer tomography (CT) scan of a sediment core confirms the structures of one subbottom profile. We also use archival data from the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure and resident interviews to better characterize historic landslides.

show abstract

Towards a general model of quick clay development

Cited by 110 publications

References 36 publications

Evaluation of potential meteorological triggers of large landslides in sensitive glaciomarine clay, eastern Canada

Evaluation of potential meteorological triggers of large landslides in sensitive glaciomarine clay, eastern Canada

Application of a fast and efficient algorithm to assess landslide-prone areas in sensitive clays in Sweden

Sensitive clay landslide detection and characterization in and around Lakelse Lake, British Columbia, Canada

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About