| Classification of Landslide Mechanisms |
| by
Hutchins (in Brunsden, 1995) |
| Type |
Form of initial failure surface |
Subsequent deformation |
| Falls |
|
|
|
|
| Detached from a |
a. planar |
failure surface |
Free fall, may
break up, roll bounce, slide, flow down slopes below. May involve fluidisation, liquefaction,
cohesionless grain flow, heat generation, chemical rate effects or other
secondary mecanisms. |
| b. wedge |
|
|
| |
c. stepped |
|
|
| |
d. vertical |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| Topples |
|
|
|
|
| Detachment from |
a. single |
a. |
pre-existing |
as above |
| |
|
discontinuities |
|
| |
b. multiple |
b. |
surface tension |
|
| |
|
|
failures |
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| Sags |
|
|
|
|
| Movement on a |
a. single sided |
mountain slope |
May be early
stages of landsliding and not display toe deformations other than bulging. |
| b. double sided |
a. |
of rotational |
| |
c. stepped |
b. |
compound form
listric bi-planar discontinuity |
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| Slides |
|
|
|
|
| Rotational movement
sliding on a |
a. single |
circular failure |
Toe area may
deform in a complex way. May bulge,
override, flow, creep. May be
retrogresive. |
| b. successive |
surface |
| |
c. multiple |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| Compound movement |
a. single |
non-circular |
Often develops a
graben at the head. May have a toe
failure of different type. |
| b. progressive |
a. |
listric |
| |
c. multi-storied |
b. |
bi-planar |
| |
|
|
|
|
| Translational movement sliding on a |
a. planar |
failure surface |
May develop
complex runout after disintegrating.
As for falls and flows. Can
develop sudden spreading failure in quick clays. |
| b. stepped |
|
|
| |
c. wedge |
|
|
| |
d. non-rotational |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| Flows |
|
|
|
|
| Movement by flow or creep on |
a. complex natural |
topographic surface |
Flow will involve
complex runout from source. May be
catastrophic. May move in sheets of
lobes and involve viscous or rheological mechanisms. Creep may be gravity, seasonal,
pre-failure or progressive. |
| i. unconfined |
|
|
| |
ii. channelised |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| Complex |
|
|
|
|
| Movements involving two or more of the categories
above |
|
|
|
|
|
Printer-Friendly Format
