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Mass movement susceptibility: the case study of Tongo-Gadima landslide, East Cameroon

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Abstract

The causes of mass movement, which occurred on the 5th October 2021 at Tongo-Gadima and damage grouting drainage infrastructure of the national road, are examined in this paper, in order to set up the novel procedure for investigating landslide in an area with limited inventory geotechnical data. They are evaluated by estimating the annual precipitation on 12-year period and analyzing the relevant geotechnical parameters: water content, degree of saturation, consistency limits, grain size distribution, linear shear strength, uniaxial compressive strength, compressibility test on samples collected on the field in order to understand the behavior of lateritic soil exposed under rainfall as well as zonation of slopes. This investigation will, in turn, enable the stakeholders to implement appropriate mitigation measures across the landslide-induce area. The main characteristics such as concave slope, shallow slid surface occurrence, and rotational trend of Tongo-Gadima landslide were influenced by high annual rainfall reaching the average of 1540 mm. The zonation analysis identified steeping slope (> 20°) called escarpment landscape. High values of water content and degree of saturation induced the swelling behavior of unsaturated soil. It has high plasticity in the lower and median set made up of more than 30% fine clay. The internal friction angle and material cohesion showed poor characteristic 35° and 0.11 bar respectively. The low uniaxial compressive strength ranging between 1.77 and 7.87 MPa suggests that the complete meteoric weathering of rock and the Cc/(1 + e0) > 0.20 ratio confirms the very compressible property of soil. The evidence of thixotropic rheoliquefier pattern of the clay matric mixed with gravel and sand is detrimental when meteoric water infiltration transforms the material into landslide-prone mud under constraint. Poor drainage has considerably increased water saturation of clay particles in the prism of rupture and weak mechanical properties of soil have been at the origin of landslide in Tongo-Gadima. Instrumentation and monitoring of slope are the first action to be taken to mitigate landslide in the region.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like thank the board management of the National Civil Engineering Laboratory for the geotechnical analysis performed on soil samples and Mistress Feumba Jeanne for her financial support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth and Environment Sciences, Higher Teacher Training College, University of Bertoua, P.O. Box 652, Bertoua, Cameroon

    Kouayep Lawou Sylvain, Samba Assomo Philippe & Bombey Quinta

  2. Department of Mining Engineering, School of Geology and Mining Engineering, Campus of Meiganga, University of Ngaoundéré, P.O. Box 152, Meiganga, Cameroon

    Michel Rodrigue Oscar Kenmoe

  3. Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, University of Dschang, P.O. Box 110, Dschang, Cameroon

    Kamgang Kabeyene Beyala Veronique

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  1. Kouayep Lawou Sylvain
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  2. Samba Assomo Philippe
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  5. Kamgang Kabeyene Beyala Veronique
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Correspondence to Kouayep Lawou Sylvain.

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Sylvain, K.L., Philippe, S.A., Kenmoe, M.R.O. et al. Mass movement susceptibility: the case study of Tongo-Gadima landslide, East Cameroon. Arab J Geosci 17, 140 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-024-11938-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-024-11938-z

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