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Kinematics of the Cerca del Cielo, Puerto Rico landslide derived from GPS observations

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Abstract

Global positioning system (GPS) technologies have been increasingly employed to monitor landslide movements. This paper demonstrates the use of GPS in the study of a creeping landslide in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The landslide is primarily composed of chalk colluvium that extends to depths of about 30 m at the head zone and 2 to 3 m at the toe zone. The slip surface lies at the base of the chalk colluvium, which slides southeast over a weathered brown mudstone unit. GPS monitoring of the landslide began in March 2008. Both campaign rapid static and continuous static GPS surveying methods were applied. Precision at the level of 0.5 mm horizontally and 1.3 mm vertically was achieved through 24-h continuous GPS monitoring. Rainfall data from a local weather station was also integrated into the study. Rainfall heavily influenced the movements of the landslide. A heavy rainfall in September 2008, which dumped 50 cm rain on the landslide area over a 4-day period, temporarily accelerated the sliding and generated rapid movement of 1 m horizontally and 0.5 m vertically. The slide slowed markedly after this significant movement. A prolonged moderate rainfall in November 2009 also temporarily accelerated the sliding. The landslide remains active. The creeping appears likely to continue in the future with short bursts of rainfall-induced rapid movements. Potential landslide causes are investigated, and two measures to minimize future risk are proposed at the end of the article.

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Acknowledgments

I acknowledge Dr. James Joyce (University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez) for many thoughtful discussions about the geology aspects of this landslide and Mr. Cesar E. Pujos (Department of Transportation, Puerto Rico) for supplying local maps and geotechnical documents. I appreciate Dr. Robert W. King (MIT) for answering many questions related to the GAMIT software and his comments on an early version of this manuscript. I would also like to acknowledge Mr. Carlos Ponce for his support in our research and education activities at the landslide site. Many undergraduate students in the Departments of Geology and Civil Engineering at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayaguez have been involved in the field surveying. I appreciate their hard work. This study was funded by NSF projects (EAR-0722540, EAR-0842314) and a NASA Puerto Rico Space Grant. The two continuous GPS units were provided by UNAVCO through its Equipment Loan Program. I appreciate Jim Normandeau, Frederick Blume, and Charles Meertens (UNAVCO) for their technical support.

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  1. Puerto Rico Seismic Network, Department of Geology, University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez, P.O. Box 9000, Mayaguez, PR, USA

    Guo-Quan Wang

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Wang, GQ. Kinematics of the Cerca del Cielo, Puerto Rico landslide derived from GPS observations. Landslides 9, 117–130 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-011-0277-5

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