The Stogovce landslide in SW Slovenia triggered during the September 2010 extreme rainfall event

Abstract

From September 16 to September 20, 2010, a cold weather front went across Slovenia. A heavy 4-day rainfall totaling between 300 and 520mm caused large floods and triggered numerous rainfall-induced landslides. The damage due to the floods and landslides is estimated over 250 million Euros. One of the largest landslides covering the area of approximately 15ha was triggered on flysch bedrock, just below a limestone overthrust zone. The sliding material properties, the inclinations of the slope, and the water catchment area indicate that the landslide may transform into a fast moving debris flow. The necessary protective measures were taken to protect inhabitants and the infrastructure against the disaster. The Stogovce landslide is one of the numerous rainfall-induced landslides that have occurred in Slovenia on flysch bedrock in the last 10years. It proves that landslide risk on flysch territory is increasing. Special program of monitoring and protective measures will have to be developed in near future to protect densely populated areas against landslides as a consequence of weather extremes.

Origin of planation surfaces in the hinterland of Šumljak sedimentary bodies in Rebrnice (Upper Vipava Valley, SW Slovenia)

“…The spatial distribution of sedimentary bodies within the quaternary slope deposit and the type of deposition processes can be directly influenced by the regional structural, lithological, hydrological and geochemical conditions. Studies of these elements are supplementing our understanding of the gravitational events that were triggered throughout the north and north-eastern parts of Vipava Valley (Kočevar & ribičič, 2002;Logar et al, 2005;FiFer bizjaK & zupančič-vaLant, 2007;pLacer, 2007;jež, 2007;pLacer et al, 2008;MiKoš et al, 2009;Lenart & FiFer bizjaK, 2010;petKovšeK et al, 2011;popit & verbovšeK, 2013;MiKoš et al, 2014;puLKo et al, 2014;Košir et al, 2015;Martín pérez et al, 2016;popit et al, 2017;verbovšeK et al, 2017a;2017b). The structure and composition of the sedimentary bodies are extremely complex but this is not visible at ground level, where carbonate gravels prevail.…”

Mechanisms of Landslides and Creep in Over-Consolidated Clays and Flysch (WCoE 2014–2017)

“…The consequence of active tectonics is that the flysch deposits are folded and ruptured and consequently very prone to fast weathering to depth (Logar et al 2005;Petkovšek et al 2011;Benac et al 2014). Furthermore, the carbonate rocks are also prone to weathering, and as a result the flysch slopes are covered with a large amount of talus material and slope sediments that are very prone to slope instability (Petkovšek et al 2011;Benac et al 2014).…”

“…The second common characteristic of landslides in flysch deposits in Slovenia and Croatia is the complexity of the sliding phenomena, which is connected with the softening of clay-bearing rock layers and that is mostly activated or reactivated by extreme weather events (Petkovšek et al 2011). In the last decades a large number of landslides have occurred in Slovenia and Croatia in flysch deposits, mostly triggered by prolonged rainfall or short intensive rainfall events.…”

“…In Slovenia several landslides in flysch deposits are also related to earthquakes, which are quite a common phenomenon (Logar et al 2005;Petkovšek et al 2011).…”

Heterogeneously composed Lozice fossil landslide in Rebrnice area, Vipava Valley

“…In the past decades, landslides and mass movements have been very common natural hazards in the Vipava Valley (Kočevar & ribičič, 2002;Logar et al, 2005;Kočevar, 2011;PetKovšeK et al, 2011). In addition to recent mass movements, geomorphological indicators of the extensive fossil landslides can be found (Kočevar, 2011).…”