Abstract
Rainfall is one of the most significant natural factors for inducing landslides. The shallow saturated zone formed in slopes during rainfall is an important factor in inducing shallow landslides. In this paper, the characteristics and influencing factors of the saturated zone in soil slopes, and the relationship between the soil surface permeability coefficient and the rainfall intensity are analyzed. In this research, the equation that characterizes the rainfall intensity by the soil saturation is built based on the Mualem-van Genuchten model, which mathematically describes the soil water characteristics of unsaturated soils. Using this model, the target saturation of the slope surface during rainfall can be determined accurately, with an average deviation of − 0.008. Based on the equations, the innovative critical curve model of the rainfall intensity−time required to form the shallow saturated zone is established and calculated. The influence of the soil material, slope angle, rainfall intensity and antecedent rainfall on the critical curve for the shallow saturated zone is analyzed. The results indicate that for slopes of 30°~40°, it is easy for the shallow saturated zone to form, and the previous rainfall after more than 16 days has little impact on the critical curve. Furthermore, an innovative landslide prediction model, based on the critical curve for the shallow saturated zone and I-D modeling, is proposed to provide benchmarks for the prediction-specific characteristics of deep or shallow landslides, which is verified by the case of the Madiwan landslide.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ali A, Huang J, Lyamin AV et al (2014) Boundary effects of rainfall-induced landslide. Comput Geotech 61:341–354. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2014.05.019
Bodman GB, Coleman EA (1944) Moisture and energy condition during downward entry of water into soil. Soil Sci Soc Am J 8(2):166–182
Bolley S, Oliaro P (1999) Analisi dei debris flows in alcuni bacini campione dell'Alta Val Susa. Geoingegneria Ambientale e Mineraria, Marzo:69–74
Brooks RH, Corey AT (1964) Hydraulic properties of porous media. Colorado State University, Fort Collins Hydrology Paper No. 3
Caine N (1980) The rainfall intensity-duration control of shallow landslides and debris flows. Geogr Ann A62:23–27. https://doi.org/10.1080/04353676.1980.11879996
Cascini L, Cuomo S, Pastor M, Sorbino G (2010) Modeling of rainfall induced shallow landslides of the flow-type. J Geotech Geoenviron 136(1):85–98. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)GT.1943-5606.0000182
Chae J, Jung M, Torii N, Okimura T (2010) A risk evaluation method of slope failure due to rainfall using a digital terrain model. J KSCE 30(6C):219–229 (in Korean).
Cho SE, Lee SR (2001) Instability of unsaturated soil slopes due to infiltration. Comput Geotech 28(3):185–208. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0266-352X(00)00027-6
Clague J, Stead D (2012) Landslides-types, mechanisms and modeling. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge
Clarizia, M., Gullà, G., & Sorbino, G. (1996, November). Sui meccanismi di innesco dei soil slip. In International conference prevention of hydrogeological hazards: the role of scientific research (Vol. 1, pp. 585-597)
Collins BD, Znidarcic D (2004) Stability analyses of rainfall-induced landslides. J Geotech Geoenviron 130(4):362–372. https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)1090-0241(2004)130:4(362)
Costa J E, Wieczorek G F(Eds.). (1987). Debris flows/avalanches: process, recognition, and mitigation (Vol. 7). Geological Society of America, Boulder
Crosta G B, Frattini P. (2001). Rainfall thresholds for triggering soil slips and debris flow. In Proceeding of 2nd EGS Plinius Conference on Mediterranean Storms, Siena (Vol. 1, pp. 463-487)
Dai FC, Lee CF (2002) Landslide characteristics and slope instability modeling using GIS, Lantau Island, Hong Kong. Geomorphology 42(3–4):213–228. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0169-555X(01)00087-3
Ebel BA, Loague K, Montgomery DR, Dietrich WE (2008) Physics-based continuous simulation of long-term near-surface hydrologic response for the Coos Bay experimental catchment. Water Resour Res 44(7):W07417. https://doi.org/10.1029/2007WR006442
Fu CD, Lee CF, Sijing W (1999) Analysis of rainstorm-induced slide-debris flows on natural terrain of Lantau Island, Hong Kong. Eng Geol 51(4):279–290. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0013-7952(98)00047-7
Gabet EJ, Mudd SM (2006) The mobilization of debris flows from shallow landslides. Geomorphology 74:207–218. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2005.08.013
Godt JW, Coe JA, Baum RL, Highland LM, Keaton JR, Roth RJ Jr (2012) Prototype landslide hazard map of the conterminous United States. In: Eberhardt E, Froese C, Turner K, Leroueil S (eds) Landslides and engineered slopes: protecting society through improved understanding. Taylor & Francis Group, London
He J (2020) The critical curve of shallow saturation of soil slope under rainfall condition and its prediction for landslide characteristics. Northeastern University, Shenyang (in Chinese)
Iverson RM (1997) The physics of debris flows. Rev Geophys 35(3):245–296. https://doi.org/10.1029/97RG00426
Keefer DK, Larsen MC (2007) Assessing landslide hazards. Science 316(5828):1136–1138. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1143308
Kim MS, Onda Y, Uchida T, Kim JK, Song YS (2018) Effect of seepage on shallow landslides in consideration of changes in topography: case study including an experimental sandy slope with artificial rainfall. CATENA 161:50–62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2017.10.004
Kosugi K, Katsura S, Katsuyama M, Mizuyama T (2006) Water flow processes in weathered granitic bedrock and their effects on runoff generation in a small headwater catchment. Water Resour Res 42(2):W02414. https://doi.org/10.1029/2005WR004275
Lam L, Fredlund DG, Barbour SL (1987) Transient seepage model for saturated–unsaturated soil systems: a geotechnical engineering approach. Can Geotech J 24(4):565–580
Lee CF, Wang M (2000) Comparison of landslide hazards between Hong Kong and Chongqing. Chin J Rock Mech Eng 19(04):493–497 (in chinese)
Ning L, Xu J-c, Ya-zhou QIN (2012) Research on calculation model for stability evaluation of rainfall-induced shallow landslides. Rock Soil Mech 33(5):1485–1490 (in chinese). https://doi.org/10.16285/j.rsm.2012.05.012
Liu W, Ju N, Zhang Z et al (2020) Simulating the process of the Jinshajiang landslide-caused disaster chain in October 2018. Bull Eng Geol Environ 79:2191. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-019-01717-6
Lu N, Godt J (2013) Hill slope hydrology and stability. Cambridge University Press, New York
Matsushiy H, Matsukuray (2006) Mechanisms of shallow landslides on soil-mantled hill slopes with permeable and impermeable bedrocks in the Boso Peniinsula, Japan. Geomorphology 76(1–2):92–108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2005.10.003
Mein RG, Larson CL (1973) Modeling infiltration during a steady rain. Water Resour Res 9(2):384–394. https://doi.org/10.1029/WR009i002p00384
National Meteorological Information Center (n.d.) China Meteorological Data Network[EB/OL]. (2018-08-16) http://data.cma.cn/dataService
Ng CWW, Shi Q (1998) A numerical investigation of the stability of unsaturated soil slopes subjected to transient seepage. Comput Geotech 22(1):1–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0266-352X(97)00036-0
Ochiai H, Okada Y, Furuya G, Okura Y, Matsui T, Sammori T, Terajima T, Sassa K (2004) A fluidized landslide on a natural slope by artificial rainfall. Landslides 1(3):211–219. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-004-0030-4
Park HJ, Lee JH, Woo I (2013) Assessment of rainfall-induced shallow landslide susceptibility using a GIS-based probabilistic approach. Eng Geol 161:1–15. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2013.04.011
Pan W, Huang Q, Xu Z et al (2020) Experimental investigation and simulation of nitrogen transport in a subsurface infiltration system under saturated and unsaturated conditions. J Contam Hydrol 231:103621. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jconhyd.2020.103621
Richards LA (1931) Capillary conduction of liquids through porous mediums. Physics 1(5):318–333
Schaap MG, van Genuchten MT (2006) A modified Mualem-van Genuchten formulation for improved description of the hydraulic conductivity near saturation. Vadose Zone J 5(1):27–34. https://doi.org/10.2136/vzj2005.0005
Segoni S, Rosi A, Rossi G, Catani F, Casagli N (2014) Analysing the relationship between rainfalls and landslides to define a mosaic of triggering thresholds for regional-scale warning systems. Nat Hazards Earth Syst Sci 14(9):2637
Shakoor A, Smithmyer AJ (2005) An analysis of storm-induced land-slides in colluvial soils overlying mud rock sequences, southeastern Ohio, USA. Eng Geol 78(3–4):257–274. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2005.01.001
Tang Y, Kunlong Y, Hui X (2017) Effects of initial water contant on the rainfall infiltration and stability of shallow landslide. Geol Sci Technol Inf 36(05):204–208+237 (in chinese). https://doi.org/10.19509/j.cnki.dzkq.2017.0527
Terajima T, Miyahira E, Miyajima H, Ochiai H, Hattori K (2014) How hydrological factors initiate instability in a model sandy slope. Hydrol Process 28:5711–5724. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.10048
Touma J, Vauclin M (1986) Experimental and numerical analysis of two-phase infiltration in a partially saturated soil.Transp. Porous Med 1(1):27–55. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01036524
Tromp-van MHJ, Peters NE, McDonnell JJ (2007) Effect of bedrock permeability on subsurface storm flow and the water balance of a trenched hill slope at the Panola Mountain Research Watershed, Georgia, USA. Hydrol Process 21(6):750–769. https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.6265
Vogel T, van Genuchten MT, Cislerova M (2001) Effect of the shape of the soil hydraulic functions near saturation on variably saturated flow predictions. Adv Water Resour 24(2):133–144. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0309-1708(00)00037-3
Wang Z, Qi L, Nan Z et al (2020) Slope failure of biotreated sand embankments under rainfall conditions: experimental investigation and numerical simulation. Bull Eng Geol Environ 79:4683. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-020-01850-7
Wang S-h, Pengpeng N (2014) Application of block theory modeling on spatial block topological identification to rock slope stability analysis. Int J Comput Methods 11(1):903–914. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tust.2013.07.017
Wang S-h, He J, Yang T-j (2018) Numerical analysis on stability of slope considering rainfall infiltration. J Northeastern University (Natural Science) 39(8):1196–1200 (in chinese). https://doi.org/10.12068/j.issn.1005-3026.2018.08.026
Xie M, Cheng J, Bo F (2005) The cause of meteorological formation and monitoring on landslide and debris flow disasters in Yunnan. J Mt Sci (05):61–68 (in chinese). https://doi.org/10.16089/j.cnki.1008-2786.2005.05.009
Zhang LL, Zhang J, Zhang LM, Tang WH (2011) Stability analysis of rainfall induced slope failure: a review. Proc ICE-Geotech Eng 164(5):299–316
Zeng L, Bian HB, Shi ZN (2017) Forming condition of transient saturated zone and its distribution in residual slope under rainfall conditions. J Cent South Univ 24(8):1866–1880
Acknowledgments
This work was conducted with supports from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. U1602232 and 51474050), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (N170108029), Doctoral Scientific Research Foundation of Liaoning Province (Grant No. 20170540304; 20170520341), and the research and development project of China Construction Engineering Corp (CSCEC-2016-Z-20-8).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding authors
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
He, J., Wang, S., Liu, H. et al. The critical curve for shallow saturated zone in soil slope under rainfall and its prediction for landslide characteristics. Bull Eng Geol Environ 80, 1927–1945 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-020-02016-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-020-02016-1