A model for interpreting the deformation mechanism of reservoir landslides in the Three Gorges Reservoir area, China
<p>Landslides whose slide surface is gentle near the toe and relatively steep in the middle and rear part are common in the Three Gorges Reservoir area, China. The mass that overlies the steep part of the slide surface is termed the “driving section”, and that which overlies the gentle part of...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Copernicus Publications
2021-02-01
|
| Series: | Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences |
| Online Access: | https://nhess.copernicus.org/articles/21/517/2021/nhess-21-517-2021.pdf |
| _version_ | 1818577876366131200 |
|---|---|
| author | Z. Zou H. Tang R. E. Criss X. Hu C. Xiong Q. Wu Y. Yuan |
| author_facet | Z. Zou H. Tang R. E. Criss X. Hu C. Xiong Q. Wu Y. Yuan |
| author_sort | Z. Zou |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>Landslides whose slide surface is gentle near the toe and
relatively steep in the middle and rear part are common in the Three Gorges
Reservoir area, China. The mass that overlies the steep part of the slide
surface is termed the “driving section”, and that which overlies the gentle
part of the slide surface is termed the “resisting section”. A
driving–resisting model is presented to elucidate the deformation mechanism
of reservoir landslides of this type, as exemplified by Shuping landslide.
More than 13 years of field observations that include rainfall, reservoir
level, and deformation show that the displacement velocity of Shuping
landslide depends strongly on the reservoir level but only slightly on
rainfall. Seepage modeling shows that the landslide was destabilized
shortly after the reservoir was first impounded to 135 m, which initiated a
period of steady deformation from 2003 to 2006 that was driven by buoyancy
forces on the resisting section. Cyclical water level fluctuations in
subsequent years also affected slope stability, with annual “jumps” in
displacement coinciding with drawdown periods that produce outward seepage
forces. In contrast, the inward seepage force that results from rising
reservoir levels stabilizes the slope, as indicated by decreased
displacement velocity. Corrective transfer of earth mass from the driving
section to the resisting section successfully reduced the deformation of
Shuping landslide and is a feasible treatment for huge reservoir landslides
in similar geological settings.</p> |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-16T06:36:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-81279f3672884ce3930eec108a343713 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1561-8633 1684-9981 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-16T06:36:53Z |
| publishDate | 2021-02-01 |
| publisher | Copernicus Publications |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-81279f3672884ce3930eec108a3437132022-12-21T22:40:46ZengCopernicus PublicationsNatural Hazards and Earth System Sciences1561-86331684-99812021-02-012151753210.5194/nhess-21-517-2021A model for interpreting the deformation mechanism of reservoir landslides in the Three Gorges Reservoir area, ChinaZ. Zou0H. Tang1R. E. Criss2X. Hu3C. Xiong4Q. Wu5Y. Yuan6Three Gorges Research Center for Geohazards, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, ChinaThree Gorges Research Center for Geohazards, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, ChinaDepartment of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Washington University, 1 Brookings Drive, Saint Louis, MO 63130, United StatesFaculty of Engineering, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, ChinaThree Gorges Research Center for Geohazards, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, ChinaFaculty of Engineering, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074, ChinaDepartment of Land and Resources of Hubei Province, Wuhan, 430074, China<p>Landslides whose slide surface is gentle near the toe and relatively steep in the middle and rear part are common in the Three Gorges Reservoir area, China. The mass that overlies the steep part of the slide surface is termed the “driving section”, and that which overlies the gentle part of the slide surface is termed the “resisting section”. A driving–resisting model is presented to elucidate the deformation mechanism of reservoir landslides of this type, as exemplified by Shuping landslide. More than 13 years of field observations that include rainfall, reservoir level, and deformation show that the displacement velocity of Shuping landslide depends strongly on the reservoir level but only slightly on rainfall. Seepage modeling shows that the landslide was destabilized shortly after the reservoir was first impounded to 135 m, which initiated a period of steady deformation from 2003 to 2006 that was driven by buoyancy forces on the resisting section. Cyclical water level fluctuations in subsequent years also affected slope stability, with annual “jumps” in displacement coinciding with drawdown periods that produce outward seepage forces. In contrast, the inward seepage force that results from rising reservoir levels stabilizes the slope, as indicated by decreased displacement velocity. Corrective transfer of earth mass from the driving section to the resisting section successfully reduced the deformation of Shuping landslide and is a feasible treatment for huge reservoir landslides in similar geological settings.</p>https://nhess.copernicus.org/articles/21/517/2021/nhess-21-517-2021.pdf |
| spellingShingle | Z. Zou H. Tang R. E. Criss X. Hu C. Xiong Q. Wu Y. Yuan A model for interpreting the deformation mechanism of reservoir landslides in the Three Gorges Reservoir area, China Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences |
| title | A model for interpreting the deformation mechanism of reservoir landslides in the Three Gorges Reservoir area, China |
| title_full | A model for interpreting the deformation mechanism of reservoir landslides in the Three Gorges Reservoir area, China |
| title_fullStr | A model for interpreting the deformation mechanism of reservoir landslides in the Three Gorges Reservoir area, China |
| title_full_unstemmed | A model for interpreting the deformation mechanism of reservoir landslides in the Three Gorges Reservoir area, China |
| title_short | A model for interpreting the deformation mechanism of reservoir landslides in the Three Gorges Reservoir area, China |
| title_sort | model for interpreting the deformation mechanism of reservoir landslides in the three gorges reservoir area china |
| url | https://nhess.copernicus.org/articles/21/517/2021/nhess-21-517-2021.pdf |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT zzou amodelforinterpretingthedeformationmechanismofreservoirlandslidesinthethreegorgesreservoirareachina AT htang amodelforinterpretingthedeformationmechanismofreservoirlandslidesinthethreegorgesreservoirareachina AT recriss amodelforinterpretingthedeformationmechanismofreservoirlandslidesinthethreegorgesreservoirareachina AT xhu amodelforinterpretingthedeformationmechanismofreservoirlandslidesinthethreegorgesreservoirareachina AT cxiong amodelforinterpretingthedeformationmechanismofreservoirlandslidesinthethreegorgesreservoirareachina AT qwu amodelforinterpretingthedeformationmechanismofreservoirlandslidesinthethreegorgesreservoirareachina AT yyuan amodelforinterpretingthedeformationmechanismofreservoirlandslidesinthethreegorgesreservoirareachina AT zzou modelforinterpretingthedeformationmechanismofreservoirlandslidesinthethreegorgesreservoirareachina AT htang modelforinterpretingthedeformationmechanismofreservoirlandslidesinthethreegorgesreservoirareachina AT recriss modelforinterpretingthedeformationmechanismofreservoirlandslidesinthethreegorgesreservoirareachina AT xhu modelforinterpretingthedeformationmechanismofreservoirlandslidesinthethreegorgesreservoirareachina AT cxiong modelforinterpretingthedeformationmechanismofreservoirlandslidesinthethreegorgesreservoirareachina AT qwu modelforinterpretingthedeformationmechanismofreservoirlandslidesinthethreegorgesreservoirareachina AT yyuan modelforinterpretingthedeformationmechanismofreservoirlandslidesinthethreegorgesreservoirareachina |