Models


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We define landslide models as conceptual entities, described by the attributes that a geoscientist may use in the field to determine which slopes are more likely to generate landslides

 

2008 rock fall on the Sea to Sky highway. Image credits: SFU archives
2008 rock fall on the Sea to Sky highway. Image credits: SFU archives

Slides in Rock

Steep rock slopes and cliffs can fail under the influence of gravity, often triggered by intense rainfall or earthquakes, and generate slides in rock. Slides in rock are usually very fast, and the failure can occur along planar, curved, and/or multiple surfaces. By mapping the distribution of previous landslides, slope angle, rock types, and other terrain properties, it is possible to identify the slopes more susceptible to slides in rock.

See Slides in Rock Model

Alberta Creek debris flow 1983, Evans and Savigny 1994
Alberta Creek debris flow 1983, Evans and Savigny 1994

Debris Flow

Intense and persistent rainfall infiltrates bedrock and surficial material, increasing pore water pressure, which sometimes results in slope failure. Debris flows are generated when such a landslide intersects a flowing body of water, or when saturated bed sediments are mobilized and begin flowing downstream. Debris flows can be very destructive, frequently damaging buildings and roads constructed on debris flow fans.

See Debris Flow Model