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Evidence of a hidden landslide slip surface beneath a mountain hamlet

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Abstract

Earthquake-triggered landslides are some of the most destructive natural disasters. Although remote detection of landslides is economic and efficient, it may miss the more subtle signs of hidden landslides. The Kizawa Tunnel and facilities in its vicinity were severely damaged in the 2004 mid-Niigata Prefecture earthquake. After investigation of the most prominent cracks, the damage was attributed to the slip along a hidden weakness plane. Evidence supporting this argument is summarized in this paper. However, the extent of the shear plane is not limited to the interior of the northern part of the tunnel. The dislocation observed in the two wells to the south of the Kizawa Tunnel together with other findings from previous studies indicates that Kizawa hamlet lies on the southern extension of the same shear plane. Taking account of the presence of flat sedimentary structures, the shear plane may extend in all directions. The authors also surveyed other signs of damage along the perimeter where the shear plane intersects the ground surface. The geological and geomorphological features of the hidden landslide are discussed. Reactivation of interlayer sliding is a threat to the local residents, and thus more attention should be paid to monitoring the movement of the slope to avoid devastating damages.

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Acknowledgments

The doctoral study of the first author in the University of Tokyo is financially supported by the Ministry of Education, Sports, and Culture of Japan. The authors are also grateful to Project 51208461 supported by NSFC.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China

    Yu Zhao

  2. Institute of Industrial Science, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan

    Kazuo Konagai

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  1. Yu Zhao
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  2. Kazuo Konagai
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Correspondence to Yu Zhao.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

12665_2014_3078_MOESM1_ESM.doc

Fig. 1 Tunnel cross-section at 59 m distance from the north portal (looking northward) (after Konagai et al. 2009a) (DOC 26 kb)

Fig. 2 Boreholes near Kizawa Tunnel (revised after Konagai et al. 2009a) (DOC 364 kb)

12665_2014_3078_MOESM3_ESM.doc

Fig. 3 Signs of disturbance in the mudstone layer during construction of the retaining wall in 2006 (Nagaoka Regional Development Bureau et al. 2007) (DOC 388 kb)

12665_2014_3078_MOESM4_ESM.doc

Fig. 4 Photographs of the deformed retaining wall showing a the location of the wall on an aerial photo b slight dislocation on the concrete ribs forming a retaining wall (DOC 2834 kb)

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Zhao, Y., Konagai, K. Evidence of a hidden landslide slip surface beneath a mountain hamlet. Environ Earth Sci 71, 4615–4624 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-014-3078-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-014-3078-z

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