Human activities play a crucial role in slope modification. Humans greatly affect slopes negatively, for example, by mining, construction and farming. ... Humans can affect slopes by destabilising them or influence the processes (mass movements) occurring on them.
How do human activities affect the stability of slopes?
Yet, human actions may reduce the stability of slopes and even trigger landslide events. In many cases landslides were caused because people have built structures near or on unstable slopes. Various types of human activities may favour and/or trigger mass movement processes.
What factors influence slope stability?
Slope stability is ultimately determined by two factors: the angle of the slope and the strength of the materials on it . In Figure 15.2 a block of rock situated on a rock slope is being pulled toward Earth’s centre (vertically down) by gravity.
How do you increase the stability of a slope?
Stability of slopes can also be improved by: Flattening of slopes results in reduction in weight which makes the slope more stable. Soil stabilization. Providing lateral supports by piles or retaining walls.
How do human activities influence landslide development?
Yes, in some cases human activities can be a contributing factor in causing landslides. ... They are commonly a result of building roads and structures without adequate grading of slopes, poorly planned alteration of drainage patterns, and disturbing old landslides.
What are three factors that decrease slope stability?
Weathered geology: Weak, weathered bedrock, jointed rock, or bedrock that dips parallel to the slope can decrease stability. Vegetation removal : Droughts, wildfires and humans can remove vegetation from the slope, decreasing stability. Freeze/thaw cycles: Water in rock joints or in soils can decrease slope stability.
How do you know if a slope has stability problems?
- Visible cracks. ...
- Leaning or curved trees, guardrails, and other structures. ...
- Toe erosion. ...
- Hummocky slope surface. ...
- Moisture changes.
What are the three types of slope failure?
- Translational Failure.
- Rotational Failure.
- Wedge Failure.
- Compound Failure.
How do you fix slope failure?
- Drainage. Contractors who know what they’re doing will always draw up drainage plans to complement their slope repair plans. ...
- Terracing & Benching. ...
- Retaining Walls. ...
- Friction Piles. ...
- Sheet Piling. ...
- Rock Bolts. ...
- Shotcrete. ...
- Geo-grid.
What do you mean by slope stability?
Slope stability is the process of calculating and assessing how much stress a particular slope can manage before failing . Examples of common slopes include roads for commercial use, dams, excavated slopes, and soft rock trails in reservoirs, forests, and parks.
What action can humans take to help prevent landslides?
There are also various direct methods of preventing landslides; these include modifying slope geometry , using chemical agents to reinforce slope material, installing structures such as piles and retaining walls, grouting rock joints and fissures, diverting debris pathways, and rerouting surface and underwater drainage.
What human activities can trigger or speed up landslides?
Construction works, legal and illegal mining , as well as the unregulated cutting of hills (carving out land on a slope) caused most of the human-induced landslides.
What is the biggest landslide in the world?
What was the biggest landslide in the world? The world’s biggest historic landslide occurred during the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens , a volcano in the Cascade Mountain Range in the State of Washington, USA. The volume of material was 2.8 cubic kilometers (km).
What can make a slope unstable?
Shocks – A sudden shock, such as an earthquake may trigger slope instability. Minor shocks like heavy trucks rambling down the road, trees blowing in the wind, or human made explosions can also trigger mass movement events.
Why Is slope unstable?
Slope-stability or mass-movement problems occur where either sediment and/or rock and/or snow move downslope in response to gravity . The rock came from a wedge type failure, and travelled down a direct path, bouncing and splitting into two fragments at the base of the slope. ...
What are the main drivers for natural slope failures?
The natural causes of landslides include: gravitational forces that tend to destabilize the ground, water saturation, erosion, dynamic loads (e.g., earthquakes), the sudden uplift of the aquifer level, volcanic eruptions and freeze-thaw weathering cycles.
