Landslides from Massive Rock Slope Failure

by Evans, Stephen G.; Mugnozza, Gabriele Scarascia; Strom, Alexander; Hermanns, Reginald L.

• ISBN13: 9781402040368
• ISBN10: 1402040369
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-08-30
• Publisher: Kluwer Academic Pub

Summary

This unique volume contains papers based on presentations and discussions at the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Massive Rock Slope Failure; New Models for Hazard Assessment held in Celano, Italy in June 2002. 32 papers by 64 engineers, geologists, and geomorphologists from 16 countries address the issue of landslides from massive rock slope failure and associated phenomena (landslide tsunamis and landslide dams). Authors include some of the world's leading authorities on the subject.Amongst the thematic topics discussed are global frequency, impacts on society, analysis of initial rock slope failure, monitoring of rock slope movement, analysis and modeling of post-failure behaviour, volcanic landslides, and influences of massive rock slope failure on the geomorphological evolution of mountain regions. Regional contributions include reports on rockslides and rock avalanches in Norway, western Canada, the Andes of Argentina, the Karakoram Himalaya, the European Alps, the Appennines, and the mountains of Central Asia.Rockslides and rock avalanches in the Central Asian republics of the former Soviet Union are discussed in detail for the first time in an English-language book. These landslides include the 1911 Usoi rockslide, that dammed 75 km-long Lake Sarez, and the 1949 Khait rock avalanche that may have killed up to 28,000 people. Both landslides were earthquake-triggered and both are located in Tajikistan. An additional highlight is a detailed description and analysis of large-scale artificial rock avalanches triggered by underground nuclear explosions during the testing programme of the former Soviet Union.The volume is a contribution to defining the state-of-the-art in hazard assessment for massive rock slope failure and to global knowledge of the occurrence of landslides from massive rock slope failure in time and space. It is dedicated to the memory of noted Italian engineering geologist Professor Edoardo Semenza (1927-2002).

Table of Contents

Preface	xi
Acknowledgements	xv
PART 1: INTRODUCTION
Landslides from Massive Rock Slope Failure and Associated Phenomena	3	(50)
S.G. Evans
G. Scarascia Mugnozza
A.L. Strom
R.L. Hermanns
A. Ischuk
S. Vinnichenko
Single-Event Landslides Resulting from Massive Rock Slope Failure: Characterising their Frequency and Impact on Society	53	(24)
S.G. Evans
PART 2: ANALYSIS OF INITIAL ROCK SLOPE FAILURE
On the Initiation of Large Rockslides: Perspectives from a New Analysis of the Vaiont Movement Record	77	(8)
D.N. Petley
D.J. Petley
From Cause to Effect: Using Numerical Modelling to Understand Rock Slope Instability Mechanisms	85	(18)
E. Eberhardt
Gravitational Creep of Rock Slopes as Pre-collapse Deformation and some Problems in its Modelling	103	(8)
A.A. Varga
Models Available to Understand Failure and Pre-failure Behaviour of Large Rock Slope Movements: The Case of La Clapiere, Southern Alps, France	111	(18)
V. Merrien-Soukatchoff
Y. Gunzburger
Numerical Modelling of Rock Slopes Using a Total Slope Failure Approach	129	(10)
D. Stead
J.S. Coggan
The Role of Topographic Amplification on the Initiation of Rock Slopes Failures During Earthquakes	139	(18)
W. Murphy
PART 3: MONITORING OF ROCK SLOPE MOVEMENT
Application of Ground-Based Radar Interferometry to Monitor an Active Rockslide and Implications for Emergency Management	157	(18)
N. Casagli
P. Farina
D. Leva
D. Tarchi
Monitoring and Assessing the State of Activity of Slope Instabilities by the Permanent Scatterers Technique	175	(22)
C. Colesanti
G.B. Crosta
A. Ferretti
C. Ambrosi
PART 4: ANALYSIS OF POST-FAILURE BEHAVIOUR
Forecasting Runout of Rock and Debris Avalanches	197	(14)
R.M. Iverson
Continuum Numerical Modelling of Flow-like Landslides	211	(22)
G.B. Crosta
S. Imposimato
D.G. Roddeman
Landslide Mobility and the Role of Water	233	(10)
F. Legros
Rock Avalanche Occurrence, Process and Modelling	243	(24)
O. Hungr
Mobility of Rock Avalanches Triggered by Underground Nuclear Explosions	267	(18)
V.V. Adushkin
Rapid Rock Mass Flow with Dynamic Fragmentation: Inferences from the Morphology and Internal Structure of Rockslides and Rock Avalanches	285	(20)
M.J. McSaveney
T.R.H. Davies
Morphology and Internal Structure of Rockslides and Rock Avalanches: Grounds and Constraints for their Modelling	305	(24)
A. Strom
PART 5: CASE STUDIES OF MASSIVE ROCK SLOPE FAILURE
The Flims Rockslide: History of Interpretation and New Insights	329	(28)
A. von Poschinger
P. Wassmer
M. Maisch
Rock Avalanche and Mountain Slope Deformation in a Convex Dip-Slope: The Case of the Maiella Massif, Central Italy	357	(20)
G. Scarascia-Mugnozza
G. Bianchi Fasani
C. Esposito
S. Martino
M. Saroli
E. Di Luzio
S.G. Evans
Slow-Moving Disintegrating Rockslides on Mountain Slopes	377	(18)
R. Couture
S.G. Evans
Edoardo Semenza: The Importance of Geological and Geomorphological Factors in the Identification of the Ancient Vaiont Landslide	395	(12)
M. Ghirotti
Failure Mechanisms and Runout Behaviour of Three Rock Avalanches in the North-Eastern Italian Alps	407	(24)
R. Genevois
C. Armento
P.R. Tecca
PART 6: VOLCANIC LANDSLIDES
Large Modern Collapses on the Active Volcanoes of Kamchatka: Causes and Mechanism of Formation	431	(14)
I.V. Melekestsev
Assessing Massive Flank Collapse at Stratovolcanoes Using 3-D Slope Stability Analysis	445	(14)
M.E. Reid
D.L. Brien
Catastrophic Volcanic Landslides: The La Orotava Events on Tenerife, Canary Islands	459	(16)
M. Hurlimann
A. Ledesma
PART 7: REGIONAL STUDIES OF MASSIVE ROCK SLOPE FAILURE
Rock Slope Failures in Norwegian Fjord Areas: Examples, Spatial Distribution and Temporal Pattern	475	(22)
L.H. Blikra
O. Longva
A. Braathen
E. Anda
J.F. Dehls
K. Stalsberg
Rock Avalanching in the NW Argentine Andes as a result of Complex Interactions of Lithologic, Structural and Topographic Boundary Conditions, Climate Change and Active Tectonics	497	(24)
R.L. Hermanns
S. Niedermann
A. Villanueva Garcia
A. Schellenberger
Rock Avalanches with Complex Run Out and Emplacement, Karakoram Himalaya, Inner Asia	521	(30)
K. Hewitt
Dissected Rockslide and Rock Avalanche Deposits, Tien Shan Kyrgyzstan	551	(22)
K. Abdrakhmatov
A. Strom
PART 8: INFLUENCES ON GEOMORPHOLOGICAL EVOLUTION
Landslide-driven Erosion and Topographic Evolution of Active Mountain Belts	573	(18)
N. Hovius
C.P. Stark
Impacts of Landslide Dams on Mountain Valley Morphology	591	(28)
R.L. Schuster
PART 9: STATE-OF-THE-ART
Massive Rock Slope Failure: Perspectives and Retrospectives on State-of-the-Art	619
J.N. Hutchinson