Abstract
Landslides are common occurrences along Chinese rail routes. Accordingly, the accurate determination of sliding-surface locations and the underlying causes become critical from the landslide-disaster-management and loss-mitigation viewpoints. In this study, the landslide in the K66 section of the Jiheng Railway (installed in Jinggangshan City, Jiangxi, China) was investigated. The causative factors and characteristics of the landslide were analyzed using geophysical methods as well as drilling and monitoring techniques. The results reveal that a combination of the transient electromagnetic method and electrical resistivity tomography can be used to identify the location of water-rich landslide-prone regions. When combined with the drilling information, these results reveal the tendency of landslide occurrence in regions comprising strongly weathered carbonaceous shale. Moreover, an uneven slope deformation is observed along the railway line. The seepage of surface water into the slope is revealed as the primary cause of landslides. This is because the reduced strength of the strongly weathered carbonaceous shale facilitates the formation of sliding surfaces. This paper presents a comprehensive survey plan for landslides occurring along railway routes. Furthermore, an assessment of the risk of future landslide occurrences in the investigation area is presented, thereby providing an appropriate reference for landslide prevention and loss mitigation.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
Availability of data and material
Data will be made available upon request.
Code availability
The software application used in this study will be made available upon request.
References
Auken E, Pellerin L, Christensen NB, Sorensen K (2006) A survey of current trends in near-surface electrical and electromagnetic methods. Geophysics 71(5):G249–G260. https://doi.org/10.1190/1.2335575
Auken E, Violette S, d’Ozouville N, Deffontaines B, Sorensen KI, Viezzoli A, de Marsily G (2009) An integrated study of the hydrogeology of volcanic islands using helicopter borne transient electromagnetic: application in the Galapagos Archipelago. C R Geosci 341(10–11):899–907. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.crte.2009.07.006
Donohue S, Gavin K, Tolooiyan A (2011) Geophysical and geotechnical assessment of a railway embankment failure. Near Surf Geophys 9(1):33–44. https://doi.org/10.3997/1873-0604.2010040
Du YN, Xu PF, Ling SQ (2018) Microtremor survey of soil-rock mixture landslides: an example of Baidian township, Hengyang City. Chinese J Geophys-Chinese Ed 61(4):1596–1604. https://doi.org/10.6038/cjg2018L0057
Dubey CS, Chaudhry M, Sharma BK, Pandey AC, Singh B (2005) Visualization of 3-D digital elevation model for landslide assessment and prediction in mountainous terrain: a case study of Chandmari landslide, Sikkim, eastern Himalayas. Geosci J 9(4):363–373. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf02910325
Fitterman DV, Stewart MT (1986) Transient electromagnetic sounding for groundwater. Geophysics 51(4):995–1005. https://doi.org/10.1190/1.1442158
Geertsema M, Schwab JW, Blais-Stevens A, Sakals ME (2009) Landslides impacting linear infrastructure in west central British Columbia. Nat Hazards 48(1):59–72. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-008-9248-0
Grit M, Kanli AI (2016) Integrated seismic survey for detecting landslide effects on high speed rail line at Istanbul-Turkey. Open Geosci 8(1):161–173. https://doi.org/10.1515/geo-2016-0017
Guo X, Jia Y, Huang X, Niu J (2004) Application of multi-electrodes electrical method to detection of slide-face position. Chin J Rock Mechan Eng 23(10):1662–1669
Heincke B, Gunther T, Dalsegg E, Ronning JS, Ganerod GV, Elvebakk H (2010) Combined three-dimensional electric and seismic tomography study on the Aknes rockslide in western Norway. J Appl Geophys 70(4):292–306. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jappgeo.2009.12.004
Hibert C, Grandjean G, Bitri A, Travelletti J, Malet JP (2012) Characterizing landslides through geophysical data fusion: example of the La Valette landslide (France). Eng Geol 128:23–29. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2011.05.001
Hu X, Burgmann R, Lu Z, Handwerger AL, Wang T, Miao RZ (2019) Mobility, thickness, and hydraulic diffusivity of the slow-moving monroe landslide in California revealed by L-band satellite radar interferometry. J Geophys Res-Solid Earth 124(7):7504–7518. https://doi.org/10.1029/2019jb017560
Huang HF, Yi W, Lu SQ, Yi QL, Zhang GD (2016) Use of monitoring data to interpret active landslide movements and hydrological triggers in Three Gorges Reservoir. J Perform Constr Facil 30(1):11. https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)cf.1943-5509.0000682
Huntley D, Holmes J, Bobrowsky P, Chambers J, Meldrum P, Wilkinson P, Donohue S, Elwood D, Sattler K, Hendry M (2020) Hydrogeological and geophysical properties of the very-slow-moving Ripley Landslide, Thompson River valley, British Columbia. Can J Earth Sci 57(12):1371–1391. https://doi.org/10.1139/cjes-2019-0187
Jaiswal P, van Westen CJ, Jetten V (2010) Quantitative landslide hazard assessment along a transportation corridor in southern India. Eng Geol 116(3–4):236–250. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2010.09.005
Jongmans D, Garambois S (2007) Geophysical investigation of landslides: a review. Bull Soc Geol Fr 178(2):101–112. https://doi.org/10.2113/gssgfbull.178.2.101
Kannaujiya S, Chattoraj SL, Jayalath D, Ray PKC, Bajaj K, Podali S, Bisht MPS (2019) Integration of satellite remote sensing and geophysical techniques (electrical resistivity tomography and ground penetrating radar) for landslide characterization at Kunjethi (Kalimath), Garhwal Himalaya, India. Nat Hazards 97(3):1191–1208. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-019-03695-0
Ko CK, Chowdhury R, Flentje R (2005) Hazard and risk assessment of rainfall-induced landsliding along a railway line. Q J Eng Geol Hydrogeol 38:197–213. https://doi.org/10.1144/1470-9236/04-004
Le Roux O et al (2011) Deep geophysical investigation of the large Sechilienne landslide (Western Alps, France) and calibration with geological data. Eng Geol 120(1–4):18–31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2011.03.004
Lebourg T, Binet S, Tric E, Jomard H, El Bedoui S (2005) Geophysical survey to estimate the 3D sliding surface and the 4D evolution of the water pressure on part of a deep seated landslide. Terr Nova 17(5):399–406. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3121.2005.00623.x
Li RH, Hu XY, Xu D, Liu Y, Yu N (2020) Characterizing the 3D hydrogeological structure of a debris landslide using the transient electromagnetic method. J Appl Geophys 175.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jappgeo.2020.103991
Lin S, Wang W, Deng X, Zha Y, Zhou H, Cheng M (2019) Geophysical observation of typical landslides in Three Gorges Reservoir area and its significance: a case study of Sifangbei Landslide in Wanzhou District. Earth Sci 44(9):3135–3146. https://doi.org/10.3799/dqkx.2019.074
Meju MA, Fontes SL, Oliveira MFB, Lima JPR, Ulugergerli EU, Carrasquilla AA (1999) Regional aquifer mapping using combined VES-TEM-AMT/EMAP methods in the semiarid eastern margin of Parnaiba Basin. Brazil. Geophysics 64(2):337–356. https://doi.org/10.1190/1.1444539
Morelli S, Utili S, Pazzi V, Castellanza R, Fan X (2019) Landslides and geophysical investigations: advantages and limitations. Int J Geophys. https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/8732830
Perrone A, Lapenna V, Piscitelli S (2014) Electrical resistivity tomography technique for landslide investigation: a review. Earth Sci Rev 135:65–82
Raghuvanshi TK, Ibrahim J, Ayalew D (2014) Slope stability susceptibility evaluation parameter (SSEP) rating scheme - an approach for landslide hazard zonation. J Afr Earth Sci 99:595–612. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2014.05.004
Reynolds JM (2011) An introduction to applied and environmental geophysics. John Wiley & Sons, England
Sass O, Bell R, Glade T (2008) Comparison of GPR, 2D-resistivity and traditional techniques for the subsurface exploration of the Oschingen landslide, Swabian Alb (Germany). Geomorphology 93(1–2):89–103. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2006.12.019
Sastry RG, Mondal SK (2013) Geophysical Characterization of the Salna Sinking Zone, Garhwal Himalaya. India. Surv Geophys 34(1):89–119. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10712-012-9206-y
Sengupta A, Gupta S, Anbarasu K (2010) Rainfall thresholds for the initiation of landslide at Lanta Khola in north Sikkim, India. Nat Hazards 52(1):31–42. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-009-9352-9
Shi XG, Liao MS, Li MH, Zhang L, Cunningham C (2016) Wide-area landslide deformation mapping with multi-path ALOS PALSAR data stacks: a case study of Three Gorges Area, China. Remote Sens 8(2):14. https://doi.org/10.3390/rs8020136
Stringer J, Brook MS, Justice R (2020) Post-earthquake monitoring of landslides along the Southern Kaikoura Transport Corridor, New Zealand. Landslides. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-020-01543-y
Su MX, Xia T, Xue YG, Mao DQ, Qiu DH, Zhu JY, Zhao Y, Wang P (2020) Small fixed-loop transient electromagnetic in tunnel forward geological prediction. Geophys Prospect 68(4):1399–1415. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2478.12929
Sumanovac F, Weisser M (2001) Evaluation of resistivity and seismic methods for hydrogeological mapping in karst terrains. J Appl Geophys 47(1):13–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0926-9851(01)00044-1
Wang J, Yin K, Xiao L (2014) Landslide susceptibility assessment based on GIS and weighted information value: a case study of Wanzhou district, Three Gorges Reservoir. Chin J Rock Mech Eng 33(4):797–808. https://doi.org/10.13722/j.cnki.jrme.2014.04.012
Whiteley JS, Chambers JE, Uhlemann S, Wilkinson PB, Kendall JM (2019) Geophysical monitoring of moisture-induced landslides: a review. Rev Geophys 57:106–145
Winter MG, Peeling D, Palmer D, Peeling J (2019) Economic impacts of landslides and floods on a road network. AUC Geogr 54(2):207–220. https://doi.org/10.14712/23361980.2019.18
Xiong JN, Sun M, Zhang H, Cheng WM, Yang YH, Sun MY, Cao YF, Wang JY (2019) Application of the Levenburg-Marquardt back propagation neural network approach for landslide risk assessments. Nat Hazards Earth Syst Sci 19(3):629–653. https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-19-629-2019
Xue YG, Zhang K, Su MX, Xia T, Zhao Y, Wang P (2020) A survey method on groundwater sources and preferential flow paths in urban limestone-based residential districts. J Environ Eng Geophys 25(2):235–244. https://doi.org/10.2113/jeeg19-075
Yilmaz S, Narman C (2015) 2-D electrical resistivity imaging for investigating an active landslide along a ridgeway in Burdur region, southern Turkey. Arab J Geosci 8(5):3343–3349. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-014-1412-0
Zhu L, Liang H, He SM, Liu W, Zhang QY, Li G (2020) Failure mechanism and dynamic processes of rock avalanche occurrence in Chengkun railway, China, on August 14, 2019. Landslides 17(4):943–957. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-019-01343-z
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the editors and reviewers for their time and effort in reviewing and improving this paper.
Funding
Much of the work presented in this paper is supported by the Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation (grant number ZR2014EEM028), National Natural Science Foundations of China (grant numbers 41877239, 51422904, 51379112, and 40902084), and Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (grant number 2018JC044).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
M. Su: conceptualization, methodology, writing—original draft preparation. K. Cheng: writing—original draft preparation, reviewing, editing. Y. Liu: reviewing, editing. Y. Xue: reviewing, editing. P. Wang: reviewing, editing. K. Zhang: reviewing, editing. C. Li: reviewing, editing.
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no competing interests.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Su, M., Cheng, K., Liu, Y. et al. Combining geophysical methods, drilling, and monitoring techniques to investigate carbonaceous shale landslides along a railway line: a case study on Jiheng Railway, China. Bull Eng Geol Environ 80, 7493–7506 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-021-02365-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-021-02365-5