Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Investigating the role of stratigraphy in large-area physically-based analysis of December 1999 Cervinara shallow landslides

  • Published:
Journal of Mountain Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The paper describes a large-area analysis of the triggering zones of shallow landslides on a case of unsaturated layered volcanic air-fall (pyroclastic) soil deposits in Cervinara site (18 km2), Southern Italy. The physically-based model TRIGRS (Transient Rainfall Infiltration-Based Grid Regional Slope-Stability) is used, which is used with either saturated or unsaturated conditions and implemented in a GIS platform. In addition to using the TRIGRS model to simulate some recent landslides, a new simplified approach is also tested to take into account the actual layered soil stratigraphy. The consistency check of the model and of the input data is performed with reference to slope stable conditions before rainfall. The performances of the models are evaluated through the ROC curves and two other quantitative indexes taken from the literature referring to the slope failures caused by December 1999 rainstorm. Notwithstanding the simplifications and limitations of the present work, both unsaturated conditions and layered stratigraphy are outlined as key factors for the slope stability of shallow deposits of unsaturated coarse-grained soils subjected to short heavy rainfall.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alvioli M, Guzzetti F, Rossi M (2014) Scaling properties of rainfall-induced landslides predicted by a physically based model. Geomorphology 213: 38–47. DOI: 10.1016/j.geomorph. 2013.12.039

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Autorità di Bacino Liri-Garigliano e Volturno (2012). Personal Communication.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baum RL, Savage WZ, Godt JW (2002) TRIGRS–A Fortran program for transient rainfall infiltration and grid-based regional slope-stability analysis, Open-file report 02-424, p.35, U.S. Geological Survey. Available online at: http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2002/ofr-02-424/(Accessed on 14 July 2015)

    Google Scholar 

  • Baum RL, Savage WZ, Godt JW (2008) TRIGRS -A Fortran Program for Transient Rainfall Infiltration and Grid-Based Regional Slope-Stability Analysis, Version 2. 0. U. S. Geological Survey. Available online at: http://pubs.usgs. gov/of/2008/1159/downloads/pdf/OF08-1159.pdf (Accessed on 14 July 2015).

    Google Scholar 

  • Cascini L, Cuomo S, De Santis A (2011a) Numerical modelling of the December 1999 Cervinara flow-like mass movements (Southern Italy). In: Proceedings of 5th International Conference on Debris-Flow Hazards Mitigation: Mechanics, Prediction and Assessment, Padua, Italy, 14-17 June 2011. Italian Journal of Engineering Geology and Environment: 635–644. DOI: 10.4408/IJEGE.2011-03.B-069.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cascini L, Cuomo S, Della Sala M (2011b) Spatial and temporal occurrence of rainfall-induced shallow landslides of flow type: A case of Sarno-Quindici, Italy. Geomorphology 126(1-2): 148–158. DOI: 10.1016/j.geomorph.2010.10.038

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cascini L, Cuomo S, Guida D (2008a) Typical source areas of May 1998 flow-like mass movements in the Campania region, Southern Italy. Engineering Geology 96: 107–125. DOI: 10.1016/j.enggeo.2007.10.003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cascini L, Cuomo S, Pastor M (2008b) The role played by mountain tracks on rainfall-induced shallow landslides: a case study. In: Proceedings of iEMSs, Barcelona, Spain, 7-10 July 2008, ISBN: 978-84-7653-074-0, pp. 1484–1491.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cascini L, Cuomo S, Pastor M, Fernández-Merodo JA (2008c) Geomechanical modelling of triggering mechanisms for rainfall-induced triangular shallow landslides of the flow-type. In: Proceedings of iEMSs, Barcelona, Spain, 7-10 July 2008, ISBN: 978-84-7653-074-0, pp. 1516–1523.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cascini L, Cuomo S, Pastor M (2013) Inception of debris avalanches: remarks on geomechanical modelling. Landslides 10(6): 701–711. DOI: 10.1007/s10346-012-0366-0

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cascini L, Sorbino G, Cuomo S (2005) Flow-like mass movements in pyroclastic soils: remarks on the modelling of triggering mechanisms. Italian Geotechnical Journal 4: 11–31.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cascini L, Sorbino G, Cuomo S, Ferlisi S (2014) Seasonal effects of rainfall on the shallow pyroclastic deposits of the Campania region (southern Italy). Landslides 11(5): 779–792. DOI: 10.1007/s10346-013-0395-3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cervi F, Berti M, Borgatti L, et al. (2010) Comparing predictive capability of statistical and deterministic methods for landslides susceptibility mapping: a case study in the northern Apennines (Reggio Emilia Province, Italy). Landslides 7(4): 433–444. DOI: 10.1007/s10346-010-0207-y

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cuomo S (2014) New advances and challenges for numerical modeling of landslides of the flow type. Procedia Earth and Planetary Science 9: 91–100. DOI: 10.1016/j.proeps.2014.06.004

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cuomo S, Della Sala M (2015) Large-area analysis of soil erosion and landslides induced by rainfall: a case of unsaturated shallow deposits, Journal of Mountain Science. DOI: 10.1007/s11629-014-3242-7

    Google Scholar 

  • Cuomo S, Della Sala M, Novità A (2015) Physically based modelling of soil erosion induced by rainfall in small mountain basins. Geomorphology 243: 106–115. DOI: 10.1016/j.geomorph.2015.04.019

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cuomo S, Della Sala M, Capuano C, et al. (2014) Analisi su area vasta dell’innesco di frane superficiali e fenomeni erosivi indotti da pioggia. In: Proceedings of XXV Convegno Nazionale di Geotecnica–AGI Roma–, held in Baveno, Italy, 4-6 June 2014. ISBN 978-88-97517-05-4, 471-478.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cuomo S, Foresta V (2015) Penetration tests in shallow layered unsaturated pyroclastic soil deposits of Southern Italy. In: Proceedings of “Soil Mechanichs 2015–Panamerican Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering”, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 15-18 November 2015, D. Manzanal and A.O. Sfriso (Eds.) ISBN: 978-1-61499-600-2: 454–461. DOI: 10.3233/978-1-61499-603-3-454

    Google Scholar 

  • Damiano E, Olivares L, Picarelli L (2012) Steep-slope monitoring in unsaturated pyroclastic soils. Engineering Geology 137-138: 1–12. DOI: 10.1016/j.enggeo.2012.03.002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Vita P, Napolitano E, Godt JW, et al. (2013) Deterministic estimation of hydrological thresholds for shallow landslide initiation and slope stability models: case study from the Somma-Vesuvius area of southern Italy. Landslides 10 (6): 713–728. DOI: 10.1007/s10346-012-0348-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dietrich WE, Montgomery DR (1998) Shalstab: a digital terrain model for mapping shallow landslide potential. Available online at: http://socrates.berkeley.edu/~geomorph/shalstab/(Accessed on 14 July 2015)

    Google Scholar 

  • Fiorillo F, Guadagno FM, Aquino S, et al. (2001) The December 1999 Cervinara landslides: further debris flows in the pyroclastic deposits of Campania (Southern Italy). Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment 60(3): 171–184. DOI: 10.1007/s100640000093

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fiorillo F, Wilson RC (2004) Rainfall induced debris flows in pyroclastic deposits, Campania Southern Italy. Engineering Geology 75: 263–289. DOI: 10.1016/j.enggeo.2004.06.014

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Godt JW, Baum RL, Savage WZ, et al. (2008) Transient deterministic shallow landslide modeling: requirements for susceptibility and hazard assessments in a GIS framework. Engineering Geology 102: 214–226. DOI: 10.1016/j.enggeo. 2008.03.019

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Haneberg JW, (2004) A rational probabilistic method for spatially distributed landslide hazard assessment. Environmental & Engineering Geoscience 10: 27–43. DOI: 10.2113/10.1.27

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iverson RM (2000) Landslide triggering by rain infiltration. Water Resources Research 36(7): 1897–1910. DOI: 10.1029/2000WR900090

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mergili M, Marchesini I, Alvioli M, et al. (2014a) A strategy for gis-based 3-d slope stability modelling over large areas. Geoscientific Model Developement 7: 5407–5445. DOI: 10.5194/gmdd-7-5407-2014

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mergili M, Marchesini I, Rossi M, et al. (2014b) Spatially distributed three-dimensional slope stability modelling in a raster GIS. Geomorphology 206: 178–195. DOI: 10.1016/j. geomorph.2013.10.008

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Montrasio L, Valentino R, Losi GL (2011) Towards a real-time susceptibility assessment of rainfall-induced shallow landslides on a regional scale Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences 11: 1927–1947. DOI: 10.5194/nhess-11-1927-2011

    Google Scholar 

  • Raia S, Alvioli M, Rossi M, et al. (2014) Improving predictive power of physically based rainfall-induced shallow landslide models: a probabilistic approach. Geoscientific Model Developement 7: 495–514. DOI: 10.5194/gmdd-6-1367-2013

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Richards LA (1931) Capillary conductions of liquids through porous mediums. Journal of Applied Physics 1: 318–333. DOI: 10.1063/1.1745010

    Google Scholar 

  • Salciarini D, Tamagnini C, Conversini P, et al. (2012) Spatially distributed rainfall thresholds for the initiation of shallow landslides. Natural Hazards 61: 229–245. DOI: 10.1007/s11069-011-9739-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Savage WZ, Godt JW, Baum RL (2003) A model for spatially and temporally distributed shallow landslide initiation by rainfall infiltration. in press. In: Proceedings of 3rd Int. Conf. on Debris Flow Hazards Mitigation: Mechanics, Prediction, and Assessment, Davos, Switzerland, 10-12 September 2003. pp 179–187.

    Google Scholar 

  • Savage WZ, Godt JW, Baum RL (2004) Modeling timedependent areal slope stability. In: Landslides–Evaluation and Stabilization. In: Proceedings of the 9th International Symposium on Landslides. Lacerda WA, Erlich M, Fontoura SAB, Sayao ASF, (Eds.), held in Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, Vol 1, 23–36.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sorbino G, Sica C, Cascini L (2010) Susceptibility analysis of shallow landslides source areas using physically based models. Natural Hazards 53: 313–332. DOI: 10.1007/s11069-009-9431-y

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sorbino G, Sica C, Cascini L, et al. (2007) On the forecasting of flowslides triggering areas using physically based models. In: Proceedings of First North American Landslide Conference, Vail, Colorado (USA), held on 3-8 June 2007. Schaefer, Schuster, Turner eds, AEG Special Publication 23, ISBN: 978-0-975-4295-3-2. pp 305–315.

    Google Scholar 

  • Srivastava R, Yeh J (1991) Analytical solutions for onedimensional, transient infiltration toward the water table in homogeneous and layered soils. Water Resources Research 27(5): 753–762. DOI: 10.1029/90WR02772

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil Engineering, University of Salerno, Fisciano, (SA) 84084, Italy

    Sabatino Cuomo & Aniello Iervolino

Authors
  1. Sabatino Cuomo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Aniello Iervolino
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Sabatino Cuomo.

Additional information

http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8024-0319

http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3618-2910

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Cuomo, S., Iervolino, A. Investigating the role of stratigraphy in large-area physically-based analysis of December 1999 Cervinara shallow landslides. J. Mt. Sci. 13, 104–115 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-014-3261-4

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-014-3261-4

Keywords

Search

Navigation