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Rainfall-induced shallow landslides: a model for the triggering mechanism of some case studies in Northern Italy

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Abstract

The article relates the main findings of a recent investigation aimed at modeling the triggering of shallow landslides. A simplified model for assessing the safety factor of potentially unstable slopes, directly related with rainfall trends, was developed. Based on the geometric characteristics of the slope, the geotechnical properties, and strength parameters of the soil, the model makes it possible to define a safety factor of a slope as a function of time. The model is based on the limit equilibrium method and takes into account the seepage of underground water. The safety factor is, in turn, related to the seasonal rainfall. The model was applied on a local scale to some historical cases which had occurred recently in Northern Italy. The paper shows how the results of the application of the model on a local scale achieve a good agreement between the instability condition and the real date of each considered event.

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Acknowledgment

The authors acknowledge the support from ARPA-SIM (Regional Agency for Environmental Protection and Hydro-Meteorological Service) of Emilia Romagna Region to perform this work.

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  1. Department of Civil Environment, Territorial Engineering and Architecture, University of Parma, Parma, Italy

    Lorella Montrasio, Roberto Valentino & Gian Luca Losi

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  1. Lorella Montrasio
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  2. Roberto Valentino
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  3. Gian Luca Losi
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Correspondence to Roberto Valentino.

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Montrasio, L., Valentino, R. & Losi, G.L. Rainfall-induced shallow landslides: a model for the triggering mechanism of some case studies in Northern Italy. Landslides 6, 241–251 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-009-0154-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-009-0154-7

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