Abstract
This paper described the recent catastrophic landslides in Sierra Leone, DR Congo, and Nigeria and their probable mechanisms. The landslides occurred at the peak of rainy season on steep mountains predisposed to failure by geologic, climatic, hydrologic, and tectonic factors. The landslides killed over 500 people and displaced more than 2000 people. The DR Congo landslide occurred a few days after the Sierra Leone landslide of August 14, 2017. The Sierra Leone mudslide occurred in the Regent area of Freetown on the steep slopes of Mount Sugar Loaf. Sugar Loaf forms a part of extensive and forested highlands south of the city. The cities of Freetown, Lokoja in Nigeria, Conakry in Guinea, and other cities in Africa have grown in recent times to almost encircle vulnerable highlands that are prone to failure. The internal friction angles of the slope materials were low at all saturation and normal stress levels used in the study. The result correlated with the stability analysis which showed that the factor of safety along the potential sliding surfaces was at critical value at failure. The number of casualties following a slip of the weak slope materials increased because of the housing pattern and the lack of effective drainages in urban cites in Africa. These factors are important considerations for future prevention and mitigating measures aimed at saving Africa from catastrophic slope failures.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Chen H, Lee C, Law K (2004) Causative mechanism of rainfall-induced fill slope failures. J Geotech Geoenviron Eng 130(6):593–602
Chorowicz J (2005) The East African rift system. J Afr Earth Sci 43(1):379–410. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2005.07.019
Crozier MJ (1984) Field assessment of slope instability. In: Brunsden D, Prior DB (eds) Slope instability. Wiley, Chichester, pp 103–142 Chap. 4
Highland LM, Bobrowsky P (2008) The landslide handbook—a guide to understanding landslides. US Geol Surv Circ, Reston 1325, 129p
Igwe O (2013a) ICL/IPL activities in West Africa: landslide risk assessment and hazard mapping approach. Landslides 10:515–521
Igwe O (2013b) ICL/IPL activities in West Africa: landslide risk assessment and hazard mapping Igwe O (2014) The role of weathering in the initiation and mobility of a rare complex avalanche at the Nigeria–Cameroon border, West Africa. Landslides 11:319–326
Igwe O (2014) Analyses of the October 2013 fatal slope failures on the metamorphic terrains of Obudu tourist area, South-Southeast Nigeria. Arab J Geosci 8:7425–7434. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-014-1659-5
Igwe O (2015a) The study of the factors controlling rainfall-induced landslides at a failure-prone catchment area in Enugu, Southeastern Nigeria using remote sensing data. Landslides 12:1023–1033. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-015-0627-9
Igwe O (2015b) Predisposing factors and the mechanisms of rainfall-induced slope movements in Ugwueme South-East Nigeria. Bull Eng Geol Environ 75:623–636. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-015-0767-0
Igwe O (2015c) The influence of bedrock geology and slip surface characteristics on failure mode and mobility: a comparative study of instability patterns in Nigeria. Arab J Geosci 8:9831–9844. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-015-1918-0
Igwe O (2015d) The causes and mechanisms of rain-induced highway and pavement collapse in Obolo-eke, Southeast Nigeria. Arab J Geosci 8:9845–9855. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-015-1899-z
Igwe O (2017) The hydrogeological attributes and mechanisms of a receding sedimentary terrain in Anambra Basin, Southern Nigeria. Environ Earth Sci 76. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-017-6519-7
Igwe O, Mode W, Nnebedum O, Okonkwo I, Oha I (2013) The analysis of rainfall-induced slope failures at Iva Valley area of Enugu State, Nigeria. Environ Earth Sci 71:2465–2480. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-013-2647-x
Igwe O, Mode W, Nnebedum O, Okonkwo I, Oha I (2015) The mechanism and characteristics of a complex rock-debris avalanche at the Nigeria-Cameroon border, West Africa. Geomorphology 234:1–10
Igwe O, Onwuka S, Oha I, Nnebedum O (2016) WCoE/IPL projects in West Africa: application of Landsat ETM+ and ASTER GDEM data in evaluating factors associated with long runout landslides in Benue hills, north-central Nigeria. Landslides 13:617–627. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-016-0703-9
Okimura T, Kawatani T (1987) Mapping of the potential surface-failure sites on granite slopes. In: Gardiner E (ed) International geomorphology 1986, Part I. Wiley, Chichester, pp 121–138
Pike RJ (1988) The geometric signature: quantifying landslide-terrain types from digital elevation models. Math Geol 20(5):491–511
Sassa K, Wang G, Fukuoka H, Wang FW, Ochiai T, Sekiguchi T (2004) Landslide risk evaluation and hazard mapping for rapid and long-travel landslides in urban development areas. Landslides 1:221–235
Schlüter T (2006) Geological atlas of Africa: with notes on stratigraphy, tectonics, economic geology, geohazards and geosites of each country. Springer Science & Business Media, Berlin
Selby MJ (1993) Hillslope materials and processes, 2nd edn. Oxford University Press, New York 451 pp
Wang FW, Sassa K (2010) Landslide simulation by a geotechnical model combined with a model for apparent friction change. Phys Chem Earth 35(3–5):149–161
Acknowledgements
The author is grateful to Prof. Kyoji Sassa and the members of the Board of Representatives for approving the author’s projects and also for all the assistance received from the members of the Environmental Research Group, University of Nigeria, Nsukka.
Funding
The study was carried out under the International Program on Landslides (IPL) and World Centre of Excellence (WCoE) projects.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Igwe, O. The characteristics and mechanisms of the recent catastrophic landslides in Africa under IPL and WCoE projects. Landslides 15, 2509–2519 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-018-1064-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-018-1064-3