Failure Mechanism of a Rainfall-Triggered Landslide in Clay Slopes
In December 2013, a portion of a large and deep ancient landslide on the southern slope of the Montescaglioso town (Basilicata, Southern Italy) was abruptly reactivated, as a consequence of exceptional rainfall events, causing relevant damages to structures and infrastructures. The sliding surface i...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-04-01
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| Series: | Geosciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/13/4/125 |
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| author | Piernicola Lollino Angelo Ugenti Daniela de Lucia Mario Parise Carmen Vennari Paolo Allasia Nunzio Luciano Fazio |
| author_facet | Piernicola Lollino Angelo Ugenti Daniela de Lucia Mario Parise Carmen Vennari Paolo Allasia Nunzio Luciano Fazio |
| author_sort | Piernicola Lollino |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In December 2013, a portion of a large and deep ancient landslide on the southern slope of the Montescaglioso town (Basilicata, Southern Italy) was abruptly reactivated, as a consequence of exceptional rainfall events, causing relevant damages to structures and infrastructures. The sliding surface is supposed to be located within a thick deposit of Pleistocene stiff clays overlain by dislocated blocks of calcarenites and cemented conglomerates. This paper discusses the research carried out to investigate the failure mechanism that occurred during the landslide event and the factors that controlled the reactivation. To this purpose, geological and geomorphological analyses were first proposed, followed by a back-analysis of the landslide process, performed via limit equilibrium calculations implementing time-dependent pore water pressure distributions derived from transient seepage finite element analyses. Furthermore, the overall landslide mechanism was investigated through a three-dimensional finite element analysis, built using the monitoring campaign carried out in the post-failure stage and calibrated according to the in situ failure mechanism evidence. Both the limit equilibrium and finite element analyses provide results in good agreement with the geomorphological evidence, further allowing us to recognize the effects of rainfall infiltration in the increase of pore water pressure along the sliding surface and the variation of the stress–strain state leading to failure occurrence. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T04:59:06Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7ca965bae27243739dcb8633eb4548b3 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3263 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T04:59:06Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Geosciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-7ca965bae27243739dcb8633eb4548b32023-11-17T19:25:27ZengMDPI AGGeosciences2076-32632023-04-0113412510.3390/geosciences13040125Failure Mechanism of a Rainfall-Triggered Landslide in Clay SlopesPiernicola Lollino0Angelo Ugenti1Daniela de Lucia2Mario Parise3Carmen Vennari4Paolo Allasia5Nunzio Luciano Fazio6Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University Aldo Moro, 70125 Bari, ItalyCNR—IRPI, 70125 Bari, ItalyCNR—IRPI, 70125 Bari, ItalyDepartment of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University Aldo Moro, 70125 Bari, ItalyCNR—IRPI, 87036 Rende, ItalyCNR—IRPI, 10135 Turin, ItalyCNR—IRPI, 70125 Bari, ItalyIn December 2013, a portion of a large and deep ancient landslide on the southern slope of the Montescaglioso town (Basilicata, Southern Italy) was abruptly reactivated, as a consequence of exceptional rainfall events, causing relevant damages to structures and infrastructures. The sliding surface is supposed to be located within a thick deposit of Pleistocene stiff clays overlain by dislocated blocks of calcarenites and cemented conglomerates. This paper discusses the research carried out to investigate the failure mechanism that occurred during the landslide event and the factors that controlled the reactivation. To this purpose, geological and geomorphological analyses were first proposed, followed by a back-analysis of the landslide process, performed via limit equilibrium calculations implementing time-dependent pore water pressure distributions derived from transient seepage finite element analyses. Furthermore, the overall landslide mechanism was investigated through a three-dimensional finite element analysis, built using the monitoring campaign carried out in the post-failure stage and calibrated according to the in situ failure mechanism evidence. Both the limit equilibrium and finite element analyses provide results in good agreement with the geomorphological evidence, further allowing us to recognize the effects of rainfall infiltration in the increase of pore water pressure along the sliding surface and the variation of the stress–strain state leading to failure occurrence.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/13/4/125rainfall-triggered landslidelandslides2D–3D finite element analysislandslide activity monitoringgeomorphological analysisgeotechnical analysis |
| spellingShingle | Piernicola Lollino Angelo Ugenti Daniela de Lucia Mario Parise Carmen Vennari Paolo Allasia Nunzio Luciano Fazio Failure Mechanism of a Rainfall-Triggered Landslide in Clay Slopes Geosciences rainfall-triggered landslide landslides 2D–3D finite element analysis landslide activity monitoring geomorphological analysis geotechnical analysis |
| title | Failure Mechanism of a Rainfall-Triggered Landslide in Clay Slopes |
| title_full | Failure Mechanism of a Rainfall-Triggered Landslide in Clay Slopes |
| title_fullStr | Failure Mechanism of a Rainfall-Triggered Landslide in Clay Slopes |
| title_full_unstemmed | Failure Mechanism of a Rainfall-Triggered Landslide in Clay Slopes |
| title_short | Failure Mechanism of a Rainfall-Triggered Landslide in Clay Slopes |
| title_sort | failure mechanism of a rainfall triggered landslide in clay slopes |
| topic | rainfall-triggered landslide landslides 2D–3D finite element analysis landslide activity monitoring geomorphological analysis geotechnical analysis |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3263/13/4/125 |
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