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Engineering geology and future stability of the El Risco landslide, NW-Gran Canaria, Spain

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Abstract

A 200 m long segment of the only main road in NW-Gran Canaria is built on landslide deposits near the village of El Risco. Structural mapping and analysis of the topography reveal that the N–S striking landslide head scarp is the upper part of a sub-circular failure surface. The southern side of the landslide is delimited by a much older E–W strike-slip fault. Prior to pavement resurfacing in 2006, cracks in the road tarmac at the northern and southern sides of the landslide suggested ongoing creep movement. Slope stability analyses suggest that peak ground acceleration (PGA) was the most likely trigger for the initial failure.

Résumé

La seule route majeure desservant le nord-ouest de Grande Canarie est construite sur les dépôts d’un glissement de terrain sur une longueur de 200 m, près du village d’El Risco. Une cartographie structurale et l’analyse de la topographie ont révélé que l’escarpement de tête, de direction N–S, constitue la partie supérieure d’une surface de rupture sub-circulaire. La partie sud du glissement est délimitée par une faille orientée E–W. Avant l’application d’une nouvelle couche d’asphalte en 2006, des fissures dans la chaussée coïncidaient avec les limites du glissement et auraient pu correspondre à un lent mouvement de fluage en cours. Les analyses de stabilité des pentes indiquent qu’une accélération séismique est la cause la plus probable de la rupture initiale.

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Acknowledgments

Financial support to M-AL was provided from the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council of Canada and Trinity College Dublin. RdP acknowledges Cartográfica de Canarias S.A. (GRAFCAN) for financial support and for providing very valuable geographical data. We thank Thomas R. Walter for stimulating discussions at the early stages of this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland

    Marc-Antoine Longpré, Valentin R. Troll & Graeme R. Nicoll

  2. Department of Environmental Science, Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK

    Rodrigo del Potro

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  1. Marc-Antoine Longpré
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  2. Rodrigo del Potro
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  3. Valentin R. Troll
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  4. Graeme R. Nicoll
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Correspondence to Marc-Antoine Longpré.

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Longpré, MA., del Potro, R., Troll, V.R. et al. Engineering geology and future stability of the El Risco landslide, NW-Gran Canaria, Spain. Bull Eng Geol Environ 67, 165–172 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-007-0119-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-007-0119-9

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