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LANDSLIDE. LANDSLIDES VS. MUDFLOWS. MUDFLOW. What is a Landslide?. Slide. Venuzuala, Coast Road. Where do Landslides Occur?. Three major controls. WHAT CAUSES LANDSLIDES? STEEP SLOPES AND WATER. WHY?. Why do landslides occur?. Strength of rock/soil exceeded. DRIVING force. >>.
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LANDSLIDE LANDSLIDES VS. MUDFLOWS MUDFLOW
Slide Venuzuala, Coast Road
Where do Landslides Occur? Three major controls...
Why do landslides occur? Strength of rock/soil exceeded DRIVING force >> RESISTING force DRIVING force RESISTING force
FORCE BALANCE DRIVING VERSUS RESISTING FRICTION AND COHESION GRAVITY
Simple Physics……vectors • DRIVING force is gravity, • RESISTING force is soil/rock strength/friction • Steep slopes give greater Driving Force
Yungay, Peru WHY STEEPSLOPES ? STEEP SLOPES INCREASE DRIVING FORCE, DECREASE STRENGTH
GREATER THE NORMAL FORCE THE GREATER THE RESISTING FORCE What is normal anyhow? FRICTION AND COHESION GRAVITY NORMAL FORCE
What does slope have to do with normal forces????? LENGTH OF VECTOR = MAGNITUDE Can demo dry TAKE HOME MESSAGE: Steep slopes reduce normal force and thus resistance to sliding
WHY WATER ? WATER DECREASES STRENGTH BY LOWERING NORMAL FORCE -- “FLOATING”
SUBTRACTING VECTORS FORCE BALANCE TIPS BOUYANCY FORCE WET NORMAL FORCE IF DRY
San Rafael,CA WATER, LOOSE SEDIMENT, STEEP SLOPES WHAT CAUSES MUDFLOWS?
HOW DO MUDFLOWS WORK? • Intimate mixture of sediment and water • OFTEN start from landslides • One phase flow • Move under gravity force • Have a yield strength -- plastic behavior • Stop when they get too thin or slope lessens -- DRIVING vs. RESISTING FORCES
Three phases of a mud/debris flow.. Bouldery snout Watery tail Mud and rock middle
MUD AND DEBRIS FLOWS LEAVE DIAGNOSTIC CLUES • Bouldery snouts -- frozen on low slope • Marginal levees -- too thin to keep flowing, bouldery • Unsorted sediments -- not enough water to sort material levee snout v levee
Bouldery Snouts Sierra Nevada, Lone Pine, Owens Valley
Marginal levees RV for scale Sierra Nevada, Lone Pine, Owens Valley
WHERE ARE MUDFLOWS MOST LIKELY TO STRIKE? ANY WHERE WITH STEEP SLOPES, VERY HEAVY RAIN, AND LOOSE SEDIMENT... THIS INCLUDES DESERTS, THE ARCTIC, AND THE TROPICS.
MELVILLE ISALND ARCTIC EXAMPLE. CANADA
WHAT ARE MUDFLOW DANGERS? Erosion then deposition
INFRASTRUCTURE DISRUPTION VERDUGO HILLS CEMETARY, Glendale California Apartments, Venezuela
BURIAL LOS ANGELES