Recent Landslides
Landslides (2007) 4:85–90 Sandra G. Catane . Hillel B. Cabria . Cristituto P. Tomarong Jr . Ricarido M. Saturay Jr .
DOI 10.1007/s10346-006-0050-3 Mark Albert H. Zarco . Winston C. Pioquinto
Received: 7 April 2006
Accepted: 9 June 2006
Published online: 17 October 2006 Catastrophic rockslide-debris avalanche at St. Bernard,
© Springer-Verlag 2006
Southern Leyte, Philippines
Abstract On 17 February 2006, a rockslide-debris avalanche
cascaded down the steep slope of Mt. Can-abag, burying the entire
village of Guinsaugon in St. Bernard, Southern Leyte, Philippines.
Casualties include 139 dead with 980 still missing and presumed
dead, making it perhaps the most catastrophic landslide in
Philippine history. The landslide started at the ridge top along a
fault plane associated with the active Philippine Fault Zone. It
started as a block slide that transformed into an avalanche. The
entire event lasted for only a few minutes. Estimated maximum
landslide velocity is 120–130 m/s. The landslide left behind a deep,
wedge-shaped scarp. The central part of the deposit exhibits a
hummocky topography typical of avalanches, in contrast to the
flatter surface of the debris-flow-type marginal deposit. High
amounts of soil in the matrix were derived from the scouring of
ancient landslide deposits and rice fields in the valley. The
landslide has a total area of 3.2 km2 and a runout distance of 4.1 km.
Estimated volume of debris is approximately 20 Mm3. At least four
streams were dammed by the landslide debris. Intense precipita-
tion and earthquakes preceding the landslide are the potential
triggers. Preliminary back analyses assuming a planar and wedge
slip surface yielded very low factors of safety even under dry
conditions. A more rigorous analysis of the failure mechanism of
the landslide is needed.
Keywords Landslide . Debris avalanche . Slope stability .
Guinsaugon . Philippines
Introduction
A huge rockslide-debris avalanche occurred on the northeast-
facing steep slope of Mt. Can-abag in St. Bernard, Southern Leyte,
burying the village of Guinsaugon (Fig. 1). This landslide event
killed more than a thousand individuals, making it perhaps the
most catastrophic single landslide event recorded in the Philip-
pines. The chronology, effects, and possible mechanism based on
field reconnaissance and eyewitness interviews after the landslide
are presented in this article.
Geologic setting
The landslide occurred at the top of a ridge of Mt. Can-abag in St.
Bernard, Southern Leyte, Philippines. The 30-km long ridge is a
geomorphic expression of the active Leyte Segment of the 1,200-
km-long sinistral Philippine Fault Zone (PFZ), which has average
slip rates of 0.55 cm/year (Cole et al. 1989) to 3.5 cm/year
(Duquesnoy 1997). It is underlain by Late Pliocene to Pleistocene
andesitic volcaniclastic rocks of the Dolores Formation (JICA-
MMAJ 1990). The recent landslide exposed the southwest-dipping
volcaniclastic rocks consisting of breccias, sandstones, siltstones,
and mudstones at the crown area. Based on sedimentary
structures, these rocks were formed in a transitional to shallow
marine environment. Hummocky topography in the basal slopes of
the mountain suggests high frequency of prehistoric landslides.
However, this feature is not evident in the alluvial plain. Recent
sediments delivered mainly by the Himbungao River underlie the
valley adjacent to the ridge where several villages of St. Bernard are
located, including Guinsaugon. Basement rock is made up of
highly sheared and serpentinized harzburgites exposed at the
southern part of the ridge near Cabalian Bay.
Rainfall
The climate of the region is characterized by pronounced rainfall
from November to January. This period of rainfall was extended by
the current La Niña phenomenon. A rain gauge 7 km west of
Guinsaugon measured cumulative rainfall of 751 mm from
February 01 to 16, which is 2.65 times higher than the average
February monthly rainfall (Fig. 2). Maximum daily rainfall values
of 131 to 171 mm were recorded from February 10 to 12, at least
5 days before the landslide happened. Very minimal rain was
recorded on February 17 (PAGASA 2006). The rain gauge is located
on the leeward side of the mountain range, which receives lower
amount of precipitation due to orographic effects. Thus, the
amount of rainfall that fell on the failed slope adjacent to
Guinsaugon must have been higher than the values shown in Fig. 2.
Landslide history and possible precursors
According to residents, earthquake swarms from 1986 to 1988 have
triggered small soil falls from the source area. They also described
that the bedrock at the failure site of the recent landslide was
already exposed due to small but frequent landslides. A few days
before the huge landslide, small intermittent rock falls were
observed. A stream that leads to the village of Guinsaugon became
muddy the day before the landslide.
Chronology of events
On 17 February 2006, residents of Guinsaugon village and
surrounding areas felt a mild earthquake at around 6:00 A.M.
local time. A stronger earthquake (surface wave magnitude=2.6,
depth=6 km) followed later at 10:36 A.M., the epicenter of which was
located southwest of Sogod (10.30N, 124.90E), approximately 25 km
away from Mt. Can-abag (http://www.phivolcs.dost.gov.ph/EQlatest.
html). A swaying motion, corresponding to intensity III–IV in
the Rossi–Forel scale, was experienced for about 5 s. Immediately
after the earthquake, a loud, rumbling sound was heard for less
than a minute, followed by an explosion that coincided with the
appearance of a white line of cloud rising from the slope face where
the blocks of the mountain subsequently detached. Eyewitness
accounts describe three blocks successively cascading downslope in
a wave-like manner. The first block followed the existing gully,
while the second and third blocks were hurled into the air as they
Landslides 4 • (2007) 85
 Recent Landslides
Fig. 1 Distribution of the Guinsaugon
landslide on a UNOSAT SPOT image
taken on June 2003 (http://unosat.
web.cern.ch/unosat/asp/prod).
Yellowish brown area represents the
landslide-affected area mapped by
RADARSAT and ASAR and the brown
area by ALOS, which are interpreted in
this study as areas of detachment and
erosion and areas of deposition,
respectively. Blue outline is the upper
limit of the landslide scarp based on
aerial photos and ground survey
conducted in this study. Red lines
indicate major lineaments along the
PFZ. (Modified from Catane et al. 2006)

collided with a lower, transverse ridge that served as a ramp. The
blocks shattered when they hit the footslopes. As the debris moved
through the rice fields and buried the Guinsaugon village, black mud
was sprayed into the air. A 20-meter thick cloud of dust emanated
from the shattered debris and hovered over the area for 1 min before
dissipating. The entire event lasted less than 5 min.
Effects of the landslide
The landslide, with an estimated volume of ∼20 Mm3, reached a
distance of 4.1 km and affected an area of about 3.2 km2. It buried
the entire Guinsaugon village with a population of 1,857 comprising
321 households. Structures in the village, including a three-storey
concrete building, were laterally translated by 550–600 m (Lagmay
et al. 2006). The total number of fatalities is 139 with 980 still
missing (http://ndcc.gov.ph/ndcc). The missing people include 248
pupils and teachers buried alive inside a school (Fig. 3) and
members of a women’s group attending a celebration in the village
hall. Of the 20 people rescued, two eventually died. The landslide
debris dammed at least four streams. Small lakes started to form
behind the landslide debris dam. Flash floods due to possible
breaching of these landslide dams constitute a secondary hazard.

Landslide mechanism and trigger

Fig. 2 Daily and cumulative rainfall in relation to the Guinsaugon landslide event
(data from PAGASA 2006). Note that the landslide occurred 5 days after the peak
rainfall on February 12. (Modified from Catane et al. 2006)
Rockslide
The landslide originated at the 700-m ridgeline of Mt. Can-abag
defined by the Leyte Segment of the PFZ in Southern Leyte
(Fig. 4a). Fresh volcaniclastic rocks comprise the failed portion of
the mountain, which had a prelandslide gradient of about 50–60°.
The failure surface is defined by the intersection of a 50–60° fault
plane with subhorizontal slickensides and gouge, and a less-
defined, steeply dipping plane (70–90°) with irregular and highly
jointed surface (Fig. 4b). As observed from oblique aerial

86 Landslides 4 • (2007)
Fig. 3 Cadastral map of Guinsaugon
village used during the search and
rescue operation. The location of the
buried school, the transported three-
storey building, the base of the land-
slide scar, the lower transverse ridge
that served as a ramp for the
avalanche, and a stream west of the
school that became muddy a day
before the landslide are shown. Names
in the map indicate the landowners
photographs, the slopes in the crown area essentially consist of
rocks mantled with <2-m-thick soil. The rockslide transformed
into an avalanche and scoured the old landslide deposits and
muddy rice fields as it moved further downslope.
Debris avalanche
The avalanche was formed by the collision of the sliding block with
the lower transverse ridge (Fig. 4a). Disaggregated blocks were
thrown into the air and shattered upon impact on the footslopes.
The resulting deposit exhibits a hummocky topography, charac-
teristic of flows with high yield strength (Figs. 5 and 6). Mud was
splattered up to 10 m high on standing coconut trees located near
the margins of the avalanche deposit. This implies that the
avalanche scoured saturated soils of the old landslide deposits.
Maximum avalanche velocity based on potential–kinetic energy
relationship ranges from 120 to 130 m/s.
On the hill slopes along the southwest margin of the landslide,
coconut trees were knocked down but were not transported
(Fig. 7). Beyond the avalanche margins, trees, which were either
fallen or left standing, were also abraded or shredded. Neither
rocks nor soil was deposited in this zone. These observations
suggest the generation of air blasts, which could be related to the
downslope motion of the avalanche or the explosions described by
eyewitnesses.
Debris flow
A secondary debris flow from the saturated, low-relief hill slopes at
the southwest edge of the debris avalanche deposit was initiated
when the avalanche scoured and removed the basal support of the
said hills (Fig. 5). Pressure ridges on the surface of the debris flow
were formed perpendicular to the overall transport direction.
Prominent flow levees mark the southwestern edge of the flow.
The appearance of dust clouds after the deposition indicates
that the dominant slope material in the upper slopes is dry or at
least partially saturated when the avalanche occurred. In contrast,
materials from the lower hill slopes are soil-rich old landslides and
fault-scarp deposits that can be easily saturated.
Slope stability analyses
The lag time between the landslide and the maximum rain
intensity suggests a significant time for the water to infiltrate the
slope materials. Days of intense precipitation that preceded the
landslide event may have eventually saturated the gouge, resulting
to increased pore pressures and reduced shear strength. These
conditions destabilized the marginally stable slope. Preliminary
slope stability analyses assuming a planar slip surface (Hoek and
Bray 1981) were performed based on the assumption that the
drained angle of friction for discontinuities ranges between 30 and
33° with zero cohesion. Based on a total slope height of 700 m and a
slope face angle of 50°, factors of safety from 0.825 to 0.927 were
obtained for the case where no hydrostatic pressures are present in
the discontinuity. In the case of a phreatic surface occurring 350 m
above the toe, as determined in the field, factors of safety from
0.676 to 0.76 were obtained. It is interesting to note that when a
wedge-type failure is assumed in lieu of the planar slip surface,
factors of safety from 0.677 to 0.761 are obtained for the case where
no hydrostatic pressures are present in the discontinuities,
implying that the slope was already unstable even under dry
conditions. This highlights the need for a more rigorous analysis of
failure mechanism behind the landslide.
Landslides 4 • (2007) 87
 Recent Landslides
Fig. 4 a Source area and deposits of
the Guinsaugon landslide showing the
projection of the PFZ and other
geologic features. b Close-up of the
source area showing at least three
major failure planes. The bedrock in
the upper half of the section is
transected by fractures. The gouge
(beige) lines the slip surface (fault
plane). Mounds below the apex are
sheared rocks and older landslide
deposits. (Modified from Catane et al.
2006)

The earthquakes that preceded the landslide, in spite of their Conclusions

low magnitude, could have been the ultimate trigger. Actual
magnitudes of the earthquakes, as suggested by the strong ground
motion described by witnesses, could be higher than the values
officially reported. A horizontal ground acceleration of 0.005 g
incorporated in the preceding slope stability analyses yielded
factors of safety from 0.604 to 0.679.
The 17 February 2006 Guinsaugon rockslide-debris avalanche is
perhaps the first and largest historical catastrophic single landslide
event described in the Philippines. Although ancient landslide
deposits are present at the base of the mountain range where the
landslide occurred, no landslide deposit of this size and extent was
observed. The Guinsaugon landslide is essentially a dry debris

88 Landslides 4 • (2007)
Fig. 5 Block diagram showing fea-
tures of the source area and landslide
deposits as seen from the northeast
direction. Fault trace and the location
of the buried Guinsaugon village are
indicated. The figure is not drawn to
scale. (Modified from Catane et al.
2006)

Fig. 6 Landslide deposit viewed from the base of the landslide scar. Avalanche area is dominated by hummocky topography. Small ponds are formed in interhummock
areas. Larger ponds in the photograph resulted to damming of at least four rivers by the landslide. (Modified from Catane et al. 2006)

Landslides 4 • (2007) 89
 Recent Landslides
Fig. 7 Knocked down coconut trees
(height 10–12 m) on the hill slopes at
the southwest margin of the landslide
avalanche, which partially traveled through air and generated air
blasts. Potential triggers are the prolonged and excessive precip-
itation associated with the La Niña phenomenon and the low-
magnitude earthquakes. The preparatory causes are the steep
slopes, presence of highly fractured and sheared materials
associated with active faulting, and adversely oriented gouge-filled
fault plane. Preliminary slope stability analyses assuming a planar
and wedge slip surface yielded very low factors of safety. This
implies that the slope was already unstable even under dry
conditions and thus highlights the need for a more rigorous
analysis of the failure mechanism of the landslide. The likelihood
of generating landslides of similar magnitude within the area is
high because the contributory factors and triggers are prevalent in
the area.
Acknowledgements
We thank UP-NIGS, NIGS’s Commission on Higher Education
(CHED) Grant, and PNOC-EDC for supporting this initial study.
Technical and logistic support extended by Joseph Foronda, Peter
Zamora, Allan Mandanas, Leo Campo, and Ms. Sampaguita Capili
is highly appreciated. We also thank Hiroshi Suwa for the critical
review and editorial handling.
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S. G. Catane ()) . H. B. Cabria . C. P. Tomarong Jr . R. M. Saturay Jr
National Institute of Geological Sciences,
University of the Philippines,
Diliman 1101, Quezon City, Philippines
e-mail: scatane@nigs.upd.edu.ph
H. Zarco
M. A. Zarco
Department of Engineering Sciences, College of Engineering,
University of the Philippines,
Diliman 1101, Quezon City, Philippines
W. C. Pioquinto
Philippine National Oil Company–Energy Development Corporation (PNOC-EDC),
Fort Bonifacio, Makati City, Philippines