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Landslide Susceptibility in Cemented Volcanic Soils, Ask Region, Iran

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Abstract

Landslides are a major geohazard in the Alborz Mountains along the transportation links in Haraz valley, northern Iran. To find the appropriate analysis method for slope stability assessment of volcanic soils, a susceptible slope in the volcanic region of Ask has been modeled using finite difference and finite element methods. Slope stability is evaluated using both limit equilibrium and shear strength reduction methods. Analysis using the finite difference method coupled with shear strength reduction provided a more explicit explanation of the observed failure mode for moderately-cement volcanic soils in the region. Numerical analysis indicates a critical stability condition for the eastern flank of the slope. The failure is localized at the lower face of a travertine layer in the upper part of the slope. Travertine crust on top of the slope is in a state of tensional yield and fracturing. Crack opening in the top stone layer due to tensile strength reduction increases surface-water inflow and contributes to overall soil mass weakening by wetting.

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Fig. 1
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(modified from Davidson et al. [22])

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(courtesy of the center for soil and drainage research of Iran)

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(data courtesy of Iranian meteorological organization (IMO), data processing center)

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(data courtesy of Iranian meteorological organization (IMO), data processing center)

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(data courtesy of Iranian meteorological organization (IMO), data processing center)

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Acknowledgments

The author is grateful to Amir Hossein Badpa, Reza Feyzi and Mehrdad Naeemi for help in the field work, surveying, and numerical modeling. I also thank Chris Powell and Chuck Langston for proof reading final versions of the manuscript and three anonymous reviewers.

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  1. Center for Earthquake Research and Information, University of Memphis, 3876 Central Ave., Ste. 1, Memphis, TN, 38152, USA

    S. Mostafa Mousavi

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Mousavi, S.M. Landslide Susceptibility in Cemented Volcanic Soils, Ask Region, Iran. Indian Geotech J 47, 115–130 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40098-016-0189-3

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