Classification and sudden departure mechanism of high-speed landslides caused by the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake

• Published in: Environmental earth sciences 2019-03, Vol.78 (5), p.1-13, Article 125
• Main Authors: Zhao, Xiaoyan, Hu, Kai, Burns, Scott F., Hu, Houtian
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biogeosciences; Classification; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Earthquakes; Environmental Science and Engineering; Geochemistry; Geology; Ground motion; High speed; Hydrology/Water Resources; Landslides; Landslides & mudslides; Original Article; Seismic activity; Terrestrial Pollution; Vibration
• ISSN: 1866-6280; 1866-6299
• DOI: 10.1007/s12665-019-8083-9

The sudden departure mechanism of high-speed landslides has always constituted a popular yet difficult research topic. Therefore, although a systematic classification of high-speed landslides is necessary, particularly since different types of landslides exhibit different mechanisms, an associated methodology has yet to be established. This paper investigates an easily overlooked phenomenon—landslide-quake, which is defined as a local ground vibration triggered by the sudden rupture of the locked segment of a high-speed landslide that occurs immediately prior to the departure of the landslide. This new concept is employed as a foundation for a new classification. The characteristics and formation conditions of landslide-quake are discussed, based upon which the high-speed landslides that occurred following the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake are classified into three different types. Subsequently, the sudden departure mechanism of each type of landslide is analyzed, thereby providing a new method for research on the sudden departure mechanism of high-speed landslides.