Granitoid rocks are generally high-quality rock from a geotechnical perspective, because they rarely contain systematic joints or fragmented fault zones. Although the rock type at the Sanhak site is granite, a collapsed slope has a deep soil layer and shows no residual structures such as discontinuities or faults; surface avalanches from this slope can be observed in several places. To study the stability of this slope, we investigated rainfall duration, variation in pore-water pressure, and the factor of safety considering three cases (current cross-section, initial planning cross-section, revised planning cross-section). With increasing duration of rainfall, the groundwater level rises, up to 20 m in height from ground surface. In the initial planning cross-section, safety was secure for rainfall of 2 days duration, but inadequate for rainfall of 4 days duration. In the revised planning cross-section, however, safety factors were secure for rainfall of 4 days duration. Therefore, to ensure permanent stability at the Sanhak site, a slope degree of 1:1.8 should be maintained during cutting.

Volcanic activity commonly creates a highly complicated volcanic complex due to the admixture of lava flow and sedimentation of volcanic ash. The Song-Gok site is composed of volcanic rocks that collapsed at the lower part of the slope, in combination with several discontinuities in and around a fault. The results of projection analysis indicated the possibility of plane, wedge, and toppling failure in the failure section. The results of discontinuity modeling using the Distinct Element Method (DEM) revealed a total displacement of 207 mm and a joint shear displacement of 114 mm. The yield surface zone was verified at the fault plane of the failure section. In geotechnical terms, volcanic rock slopes are characteristically vulnerable to failure because of differential weathering among the various rock types, the effect of groundwater based on the permeability of the rocks, and the presence of systematic joints generated by the cooling and contraction of lava. When considering the stability of a volcanic rock slope, it is necessary to consider data such as the geological features of the rock, as obtained through detailed geological survey, and variations in discontinuities and rock blocks.

This study is targeted at national road #24 located in Ga-Ji Mt. provincial park, Gyeongsangnam-do. Study area is divided into two domains of A and B to study exposure characteristics and hazard of roadside slopes for each location.