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Deposit characteristics of the Jiweishan rapid long-runout landslide based on field investigation and numerical modeling

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Abstract

Rapid long-runout landslides always cause extensive damage to lives and properties, and the deposit characteristics of landslides play an important role in revealing the evolution and transport mechanism. Several intensive fieldworks were conducted at the Jiweishan landslide region in Chongqing, China to investigate the deposit features, including the motion characteristics, retention of stratigraphic sequence, inverse grading, and thickness distribution, which later helped in the calibration and setting of the numerical modeling. Based on the discrete element method (DEM), the effects of simulation parameters (friction coefficient, volume, and fall height) on the maximum travel distance and deposit area of the landslide were assessed, taking account into the joints network developed in rock mass, respectively. Sensitivity analysis was performed according to numerical data, and the calculated relative sensitivity (RS) values suggested that all parameters had an impact on the travel distance of rapid long-runout landslides, and the sensitivity could be listed in the following order of most to least sensitive: volume (RS = 0.83) > fall height (RS = 0.23) > friction coefficient (RS = 0.14).

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (grant number 2017YFC1501303) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number 41602316). The authors also thank the anonymous reviewers for their insightful and valuable comments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Engineering, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China

    Yunfeng Ge, Huiming Tang, Hongzhi Chen, Peng Zhong, Li Zhang & Ke Fang

  2. Three Gorges Research Center for Geo-hazard, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, China

    Huiming Tang

  3. College of Petroleum Geology and Minerals, University of Bahri, 1660/11111, Khartoum, Sudan

    M. A. M. Ez Eldin

Authors
  1. Yunfeng Ge
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  2. Huiming Tang
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  3. M. A. M. Ez Eldin
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  4. Hongzhi Chen
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  5. Peng Zhong
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  6. Li Zhang
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  7. Ke Fang
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Correspondence to Huiming Tang.

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Highlights

• The deposit features of the Jiweishan landslide were revealed through field investigation and numerical modeling.

• Considering the small-scale joints developed in rock mass in the failure region, the numerical results corresponded to the field investigation.

• The effects of the Jiweishan landslide parameters on the travel distance and deposit area were investigated based on numerical simulation, and the sensitivity order is as follows: volume > fall height > friction coefficient.

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Ge, Y., Tang, H., Ez Eldin, M.A.M. et al. Deposit characteristics of the Jiweishan rapid long-runout landslide based on field investigation and numerical modeling. Bull Eng Geol Environ 78, 4383–4396 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-018-1422-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-018-1422-3

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