Initiation and mobility of irrigation-induced loess flowslide recurrence
on the Heifangtai area in China: Insights from hydrogeological
conditions and liquefaction criteria
Abstract
The Heifangtai area is commonly known as the museum of loess landslides
in China. Irrigation-induced loess flowslides frequently recur along the
margin cliffs of the Hefaingtai terrace, causing 42 fatalities and
significant economic losses, as well as major ecological and
environmental problems, such as increased soil erosion rate. The
initiation and mobility of these irrigation-induced loess flowslide
recurrences remain undetermined. On three typical recurrences of the
loess flowslides, we performed joint geophysical detection using
electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and multichannel analysis of
surface waves (MASW), and also tested loess basic properties by field
profile sampling. In addition, we examined the shear behaviors of
saturated loess utilizing an undrained ring shear apparatus. The
geophysical signatures and in-situ loess property profiles showed that
hydrogeological conditions are key to the initiation of recurring loess
flowslides. The results also demonstrated that liquefaction shear
behaviors of saturated loess control the mobility of after-failure of
the loess flowslides. Rapid criteria of liquefaction susceptibility
evaluation are suggested to provide a better understanding of the
dynamic mechanisms of loess flowslides. These findings shed substantial
light on long-runout flowslides that occur in fine-grain soil and their
implications for landslide hazard mitigation.