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Fifteen-year professional monitoring and deformation mechanism analysis of a large ancient landslide in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area, China

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Abstract

The activation of large ancient rock landslides caused by reservoir operation is a primary threat to the TGR. Understanding the deformation characteristics and failure mechanisms of these landslides can be helpful for stability assessment and long-term landslide prediction. The primary aim of this study is to research the motion characteristics of ancient rock landslides and their relationships with engineering activities and natural factors. The Tanjiahe landslide, a large reactivated landslide in the TGR region, is used as an example. Long-term professional monitoring data collected since 2006 show that the landslide is experiencing creep deformation. By combining 15 years of meteorological, hydrological and manual GNSS monitoring information, 5 years of displacement measurements from open fractures and deep boreholes, automatic GNSS measurements, and macroscopic inspection results, the deformation mechanisms of landslides are studied in detail. The study shows that landslide deformation is affected by the reservoir water level and that rainfall promotes landslide deformation. Specifically, from November to May, during the high reservoir water level stage and subsequent declining water level stage, the landslide exhibits a very distinct movement pattern with high deformation, lasting nearly 7 months. As the water level rises, the deformation subsides until almost no deformation exists. Landslide displacement continues to increase each year, indicating likely slope instability. However, the deformation rate of the Tanjiahe landslide is gradually decreasing, and the probability of large-scale sliding is low; still, the monitoring system must be strengthened, and additional research must be performed on the corresponding deformation mechanism.

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Data Availability

The authors declare that the Tanjiahe landslide data presented in the paper is preferred for this journal.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the Editor and the reviewers for their valuable comments, which improved this manuscript. We are very grateful to Professor Yi Qinglin, China Three Gorges University, for supplying us with the practical monitoring data of the Tanjiahe landslide. This work is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 42007237, 42107489, 42172303), National Field Observation and Research Station of Landslides in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area of Yangtze River Open Fund Project (No. 2018KTL13), and the Natural Science Research Project of Yichang City (No. A21-3-006).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Field Observation and Research Station of Landslides in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area of Yangtze River, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, 443002, China

    Maolin Deng, Xiaohu Huang, Qinglin Yi, Yiliang Liu, Wu Yi & Haifeng Huang

  2. College of Civil Engineering & Architecture, China Three Gorges University, Yichang, 443002, China

    Maolin Deng, Xiaohu Huang, Qinglin Yi, Yiliang Liu, Wu Yi & Haifeng Huang

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  1. Maolin Deng
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  2. Xiaohu Huang
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  3. Qinglin Yi
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  4. Yiliang Liu
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  5. Wu Yi
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  6. Haifeng Huang
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Correspondence to Xiaohu Huang.

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Deng, M., Huang, X., Yi, Q. et al. Fifteen-year professional monitoring and deformation mechanism analysis of a large ancient landslide in the Three Gorges Reservoir Area, China. Bull Eng Geol Environ 82, 243 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-023-03262-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-023-03262-9

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