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A recent, retrogressive, complex earthflow–earth slide at Cenes de la Vega, southern Spain

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Abstract

An earthflow near Cenes de la Vega (southern Spain) was first observed after a heavy rain in January 2010 in an area where a spring had existed. Initially, the landslide affected only the lower part of the slope. Displaced materials accumulated over terraces and the river course, damming it. A year later, a new rainy period reactivated (or increased the activity of) the instability. It progressed in two ways: by sliding and involving progressively higher parts of the slope with the head scarp approaching the top of the slope, and by widening in the central part of the body. Near the top of the slope, there is a pipeline that supplies water to the city of Granada. The most probable triggering factor of the landslide seems to be a combination of persistent water leakage from the pipe, which has saturated the materials, and intense rainfall.

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Acknowledgments

This work was partially funded by the DGI-MEC CGL2007-60535/BTE Project and by the research groups RNM-374 (Andalusian Regional Government) and VIGROG-184 (University of Alicante). The assistance of Dr. S. Chinchón (University of Alicante) during X-ray diffraction interpretation is gratefully acknowledged. The aerial photographs and topographic data used were supplied by CNIG (www.centrodedescargas.nig.es/CentroDescargas/index.jsp). Rainfall data were kindly supplied by the water treatment plant of Cenes de la Vega (ETAP) and Water Andalusian Agency. We really appreciate the information supplied by personal of Water Andalusian Agency after the inspection of the pipeline and their permission to publicate it in this paper. We acknowledge the suggestions made by an anonymous reviewer that greatly improved the original manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Ingeniería Civil, Universidad de Granada, Campus de Fuentenueva s/n, 18071, Granada, Spain

    Jesús Garrido

  2. Departamento de Ciencias de la Tierra, Universidad de Alicante, P.O. Box 99, Alicante, 03080, Spain

    José Delgado

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  1. Jesús Garrido
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  2. José Delgado
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Correspondence to Jesús Garrido.

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Garrido, J., Delgado, J. A recent, retrogressive, complex earthflow–earth slide at Cenes de la Vega, southern Spain. Landslides 10, 83–89 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-012-0358-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-012-0358-0

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