Abstract
Gravity erosion is a dominant geomorphic process on the widespread steep loess slopes, yet it is not well understood due to the complexity of failure occurrence and behavior. This chapter conducted a series of laboratory experiments to test the stability of different slope geometries and rainfalls and then performed a sensitivity analysis. The following three types of gravity erosion were observed: landslide, avalanche, and mudslide. In an event of rainfall, various types of gravity erosion might emerge in the same period, and mass failures with the same mode and similar size often adjacently appeared. Climate-driven factors and topography triggers had prominent influences on gravity erosion. Whether for the total amount or the peak amount in an experiment, the largest sensitivity parameter on both landslides and mudslides was that of rainfall duration. The experimental results provide an insight into the pre-failure mechanisms and processes of steep loess slopes.
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Xu, X., Zhu, T., Zhang, H., Gao, L. (2020). A Sensitivity Analysis on the Gravity Erosion on the Steep Loess Slope. In: Experimental Erosion. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-3801-8_10
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-3801-8_10
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