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Estimating slope failure potential in an earthquake prone area: a case study at Skolis Mountain, NW Peloponnesus, Greece

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Abstract

One of the most important issues in the evaluation of geological hazards is the delineation of landslide prone areas and the estimation of the slope failure potential. In this study, the GIS-based Newmark’s displacement method was applied for the first time in Greece, in order to compute the permanent displacement values and evaluate the slope failure potential in the area of the Skolis mountain in NW Peloponnesus, Greece. The resulting maps were validated using the distribution of secondary effects triggered by the 8 June 2008 earthquake. The study indicated that as the source areas of the rock falls were delineated by the Newmark displacement method, this may be a useful approach to predict earthquake-induced slope failures when the seismic potential of an area has been previously evaluated.

Résumé

Un des thèmes les plus importants dans l’évaluation des aléas géologiques est la délimitation des zones sujettes à glissements de terrain et l’estimation des risques de rupture de terrain. Dans cette étude, la méthode de Newmark, sur une base SIG, a été appliquée pour la première fois en Grèce, afin de calculer des valeurs de déplacement permanent et d’évaluer le risque de rupture de pente dans la région des montagnes de Skolis dans le nord-ouest du Péloponnèse (Grèce). Les cartes produites ont été validées à partir de la répartition des effets secondaires déclenchés par le séisme du 8 juin 2008. L’étude a montré que, la zone source de chutes de blocs étant délimitée par la méthode des déplacements de Newmark, cette approche peut être utile pour prévoir les glissements déclenchés par des séismes lorsque l’activité sismique d’une région a été au préalable évaluée.

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Acknowledgments

The author of this study would like to thank Prof. Spyros Pavlides, Dr. Alexandros Chatzipetros and Dr. Sotiris Valkaniotis for their help during the field survey and the recording of the ground failures triggered by the June 8, 2008 earthquake.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Egnatia str, 54149, Thessaloniki, Greece

    George Papathanassiou

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  1. George Papathanassiou
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Correspondence to George Papathanassiou.

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Papathanassiou, G. Estimating slope failure potential in an earthquake prone area: a case study at Skolis Mountain, NW Peloponnesus, Greece. Bull Eng Geol Environ 71, 187–194 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-010-0344-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-010-0344-5

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