Investigation of landslide potential parameters on Zonguldak–Ereğli Highway and adverse effects of landslides in the region

Abstract

Landslides are natural phenomena in the same class of natural disasters as earthquakes, floods, hurricanes, erosion, and volcanic eruptions that adversely affect human lives and property. Owing to their widespread occurrence, landslides are easily visible and able to be partially understood by people witnessing them. Nevertheless, to comprehend the detail of their formation and determine their potential, it is necessary to undertake geodetic, geological, and geophysical measurements in regions prone to landslides. By analyzing these measurements, it is possible to better ascertain those regions predisposed to landslides and thus provide the means to prevent loss of life and property. The city of Zonguldak, situated in the Western Black Sea region of Turkey, has a high occurrence of landslides owing to its harsh topography with rugged and steep slopes and rainfall in almost every season. Furthermore, the diurnal temperature ranging up to 10 °C in all seasons, especially in winter, plays a crucial role in rock disintegration in this region. Other factors damage ground composition and trigger landslides, such as underground mining operations, road construction that collapses rocky hills using explosives, and excavation works in steep terrain for building construction. This study gives a detailed account of the causes and adverse effects of landslides and their parameters through examples of landslide occurrences in the region, together with the results and analyses of two periods of geodetic measurements conducted on the Zonguldak-Ereğli Highway in Ilıksu district.

Landslide susceptibility mapping in an area of underground mining using the multicriteria decision analysis method

“…The study area is home to ~ 300,000 people, all of whom reside in dwellings built without any definite design plan (Abdikan 2012 ). Generally, in these regions, different types of landslide such as flows, rotational slides, and, to a lesser extent, topples are observed (Can 2014 ).…”

“…The effects of anthropogenic forces are particularly intense for industrial areas (Yalcin et al 2011 ). Moreover, the destruction of vegetation on slopes and land misuse for various purposes contribute towards increase in the occurrence of landslides (Can 2014 ). Figure 3 e shows the land use characteristics of the AOI.…”

Description of failures and risks that are emerged from landslide measurement activities in infrastructure deformations

“…of landslides by engineering calculations also becomes very important in description of landslide mechanism [11]. In addition, definition of geologic, geophysical, geomorphologic structure of the concerned settlement area also becomes very essential with regard to protection of the infrastructures in the area.…”

“…Among those topographic features, specially field slope values, unit extension deformation and topographic hillside curvature (concave, convex, etc.) are the critical parameters that expert scientists studying in this field take primarily care of [8,11]. A well designed and well optimized geodetic network is first and foremost needed in the area in order to calculate and define those parameters in a sensitive manner in the landslide analysis in which those topographic parameters have important value.…”

“…The landslides may be propagated with geomorphologic, geologic, atmospheric and climatic effects and in addition to this fact may be triggered with various activities of human-beings [10]. The landslides that take an important part among natural hazards with regard to their devastating negative effects, cause substantial losses of human life and properties in the stricken areas as well as cause considerable destructions in the infrastructure of the urbans, in railways, highways and agricultural fields [1,5,11,12]. The studies of expert researchers and engineers in landslide issues play an important role in defining the incurred losses and potential losses in the landslide stricken areas, or in the landslide potential areas as well as avoiding the damages in advance of their occurrence.…”