The influence of localized slumping on groundwater seepage and slope stability

Abstract

Transverse cracks and localized slumps frequently occur within loose deposits slopes when the slope base is removed either from natural or manmade processes. Although the contribution of rainfall to the slope failures was intensely discussed, the influence of localized slumps on hydrogeological conditions has received less attention. Usually, loose deposits slopes are composed of soil layers with different permeability; localized slumps may cause flow paths partly blocked in the permeable layer that is adversely confined between impermeable layers. In this study, a case history of such failure, Xiaodan (小旦) landslide, is introduced in detail. The localized slump caused the pressure head in the permeable layer to increase substantially, which reduced the stability of the slope. To quantify the influence, Bernoulli equations are used to analytically study the increase of the pressure head with a hydrogeological model simplified from the slope. The factor of safety assessed by limit equilibrium methods may decrease up to 20% when the 80% of flow path is blocked. Thus, we should pay attention not only to changes of stress filed due to localized slumps but also to the influence of seepage variation on the slope stability.

Keywords

deposits slope / slump / groundwater seepage / pressure head / slope stability

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