A reinterpretation of the Downie Slide (British Columbia, Canada) based on slope damage characterization and subsurface data interpretation

Donati, Davide Maria; Westin, A. M.; Stead, Doug; Clague, John J.; Stewart, Thomas W.; Lawrence, Martin S.; Marsh, Julia

doi:10.1007/s10346-020-01601-5

Cited by 13 publications

(17 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…When this happens, the instability may propagate to previously stable parts of the slope, and new detachments may occur either through the same kinematic failure mechanism (e.g., planar sliding), or through a different mechanism, which only became feasible after the removal of the key block. Significant examples include the Hope Slide in British Columbia, Canada (Donati et al, 2021c) and the Randa landslides in Switzerland (Eberhardt et al, 2004). At Randa, two subsequent landslides involved the rock slope in April and May 1991.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Conversely, debuttressing with reduced lateral slope support and changes in slope kinematics (e.g., daylighting of geological structures resulting in an increased potential for landslide mobilization) occurs during intervals of retreat. Some notable examples of large-scale slope instability related to the oversteepening and subsequent reduction of lateral constraint and changes in kinematics include the Mitchell Creek landslide (Clayton et al, 2017), the Moosfluh landslide (Kos et al, 2016), and the Downie Slide (Donati et al, 2021c). To a lesser extent, subsequent phases of glacier advance and retreat, causing a progressive accumulation of damage within the rock slope due to the cyclic application of load, can promote the development of slope instabilities (Grämiger et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Kinematic Analysis of the 2020 Elliot Creek Landslide, British Columbia, Using Remote Sensing Data

et al. 2022

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The 2020 Elliot Creek landslide-tsunami-flood cascade originated from an 18.3 Mm3 rock slope failure in quartz diorite bedrock in a valley undergoing rapid glacial retreat. We used airborne LiDAR and optical imagery to characterize the slope and its surroundings. Using the LiDAR, we determined that two rockslides (2020 and an older undated one) occurred on this slope and shared a common basal rupture surface. We mapped two main sets of lineaments that represent structures that controlled the orientation of the lateral and rear release surfaces. Analysis of the topographic profile indicates a wedge-shaped failure block and a stepped rupture surface. Further topographic profile analysis indicates the possibility of a structurally controlled geomorphic step in the valley that corresponds with a change in the orientation of the valley. The rapid retreat of the West Grenville Glacier and the positions of the rupture surfaces suggest glacial retreat played a role in the landslides.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Kinematic Analysis of the 2020 Elliot Creek Landslide, British Columbia, Using Remote Sensing Data

et al. 2022

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“…The plunge and trend of displacement of a landslide that moves as a rigid or stiff block, or a combination of blocks, are related to the morphology of the sliding surface [8]. The spatial analysis of displacement plunge, ψ, across the landslide area therefore provides insight into the deformation style and failure mechanism of a landslide.…”

Section: Reconstruction Of the Sliding Surface And Estimation Of Landslide Thicknessmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Characterization and management of unstable slopes are based on geological and historical data derived from fieldwork, geotechnical boreholes, remote sensing surveys, and monitoring (e.g., [4][5][6]). Among the most studied examples of landslides that use these integrated datasets are Downie Slide and Frank Slide in Canada [7][8][9][10], Aknes rockslide in Norway [11,12], Ruinon landslide in Italy [4,13], and the Randa rockslides in Switzerland [14,15]. These examples are readily accessible for such integrated studies, but many other unstable slopes are located in remote areas with limited accessibility and a lack of detailed historical and surface and subsurface geological data.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Robust SAR Speckle Tracking Workflow for Measuring and Interpreting the 3D Surface Displacement of Landslides

et al. 2021

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We present a workflow for investigating large, slow-moving landslides which combines the synthetic aperture radar (SAR) technique, GIS post-processing, and airborne laser scanning (ALS), and apply it to Fels landslide in Alaska, US. First, we exploit a speckle tracking (ST) approach to derive the easting, northing, and vertical components of the displacement vectors across the rock slope for two five-year windows, 2010–2015 and 2015–2020. Then, we perform post-processing in a GIS environment to derive displacement magnitude, trend, and plunge maps of the landslide area. Finally, we compare the ST-derived displacement data with structural lineament maps and profiles extracted from the ALS dataset. Relying on remotely sensed data, we estimate that the thickness of the slide mass is more than 100 m and displacements occur through a combination of slumping at the toe and planar sliding in the central and upper slope. Our approach provides information and interpretations that can assist in optimizing and planning fieldwork activities and site investigations at landslides in remote locations.

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“…High-frequency sampling of the reflected signal allows a researcher to identify multiple returns for each emitted pulse and enables the removal of vegetation and other minor obstacles in order to create a so-called "bare earth" dataset. Surface features of interest (e.g., cracks, grabens, gullies, fractures) can thus be readily identified and interpreted across heavily vegetated slopes (e.g., [6]). Because such surveys are accurate and can be repeated, both TLS and ALS are now widely used to characterize and monitor unstable slopes (e.g., [7][8][9]).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Characterization of the Fels Landslide (Alaska) Using Combined Terrestrial, Aerial, and Satellite Remote Sensing Data

Donati,

Stead,

Rabus

et al. 2023

Remote Sensing

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The characterization of landslides located in remote areas poses significant challenges due to the costs of reaching the sites and the lack of reliable subsurface data to constrain geological interpretations. In this paper, the advantages of combining field and remote sensing techniques to investigate the deformation and stability of rock slopes are demonstrated. The characterization of the Fels landslide, a large, slowly deforming rock slope in central Alaska, is described. Historical aerial imagery is used to highlight the relationship between glacier retreat and developing instability. Airborne laser scanning (ALS) and Structure-from-Motion (SfM) datasets are used to investigate the structural geological setting of the landslide, revealing a good agreement between structural discontinuities at the outcrop and slope scales. The magnitude, plunge, and direction of slope surface displacements and their changes over time are studied using a multi-temporal synthetic aperture radar speckle-tracking (SAR ST) dataset. The analyses show an increase in displacement rates (i.e., an acceleration of the movement) between 2010 and 2020. Significant spatial variations of displacement direction and plunge are noted and correlated with the morphology of the failure surface reconstructed using the vector inclination method (VIM). In particular, steeper displacement vectors were reconstructed in the upper slope, compared to the central part, thus suggesting a change in basal surface morphology, which is largely controlled by rock mass foliation. Through this analytical approach, the Fels landslide is shown to be a slow-moving, compound rockslide, the displacement of which is controlled by structural geological features and promoted by glacier retreat.

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A reinterpretation of the Downie Slide (British Columbia, Canada) based on slope damage characterization and subsurface data interpretation

Cited by 13 publications

References 47 publications

Kinematic Analysis of the 2020 Elliot Creek Landslide, British Columbia, Using Remote Sensing Data

Kinematic Analysis of the 2020 Elliot Creek Landslide, British Columbia, Using Remote Sensing Data

A Robust SAR Speckle Tracking Workflow for Measuring and Interpreting the 3D Surface Displacement of Landslides

Characterization of the Fels Landslide (Alaska) Using Combined Terrestrial, Aerial, and Satellite Remote Sensing Data

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