GEOLOGICAL HAZARD
such as :
Geological hazards are natural phenomena that
cause major problems all over the world. The expansion
and development of cities lead to an increase in impact
and damaged due to geological hazards. In general,
most of the geological hazards are related to natural
conditions, although some may be due to human
activities. Aside from earthquakes and volcanic
eruptions, which are the common geological hazards
causing massive devastation, there are other related
hazards that may also cause minor to major destruction
to people and community.
Rainfall-Induced Landslide
A landslide is a massive outward and downward
movement of slope-forming materials. The term
landslide is restricted to movements of rocks and soil
masses. These masses may range in size up to entire
mountainsides. Their movements may vary in velocity. A
landslide is initiated when a section of a hill slope or
sloping section of a sea bed is rendered too weak to
support its own weight. This is generally tiggered by
other natural hazards such as prolonged, heavy rainfall
or by other sources of water which increase the water
content of the slope materials.
Causes of Landslide
Landslide occur when a slope changes from a
stable to an unstable condition. A change in the stability
of a slope can be caused by a number of factors, acting
together or alone.
Natural causes of landslide include:
• groundwater (pore water) pressure acting to
destabilize the slope
• loss or absence of vertical vegetative structure,
soil nutrients, and soil structure (e.g. after a
wildfire)
• erosion of the toe of a slope by rivers or ocean
waves
• weakening of a slope through saturation by
snow melt, glaciers melting, or heavy rains
• earthquakes adding loads to barely stable slope
• earthquake-caused liquefaction destabilizing
slopes
• volcanic eruptions
Landslides are also aggravated by human activities,
• deforestation, cultivation and construction, which
destablize the already fragile slopes.
• vibrations from machinery or traffic
• blasting (e. g as miners normally do)
• earthwork which alters the shape of a slope, or which
imposes new loads on an existing slope
• in shallow soils, the removal of deep-rooted
vegetation that binds colluvium to bedrock (e. g kaingin
farming system)
• construction works, agricultural or forestry activities
(e. g logging) which change the amount of water
infiltrating the soil.
Effects of Landslides
Landslides cause property damage, injury and
death and adversely affect a variety of resources. For
example, water supplies, fisheries, sewage disposal
systems, forests, dams and roadways can be affected
for years after a slider event.
The negative economic effects of landslides
include the cost to repair structures, loss of property
value, disruption of transportation routes, medical costs
in event of injury and indirect costs such as lost timber
and lost fish stocks. Water availability, quantity and
quality can be affected by landslides. Geotechnical
studies and engineering projects to assess and stabilize
potentially dangerous sites can be costly.
Preparedness and Mitigation (What to do before)
• Coordinate with the Mines and Geosciences
Bureau (MGM) regarding the landslide
susceptibly of the area concerned.
• Consult a professional for advice most
appropriate for the site for landslide mitigation
and prevention.
• Reinforce the foundation and walls of structures
when needed.
• Develop a land use plan, ensuring that site
developments are compatible with the
conditions and limitations of the natural
environment.
• Promote public awareness and involvement of
landslide mitigation.
• Develop a community preparedness and
evacuation plan.
• Maintain a list of contact numbers during
emergencies.
• Plant grasses to cover slopes or build riprap to
prevent soil erosion.
• Contact regular drills on evacuation procedures.
 • Recommend to proper authorities the
construction of channels, catchments, basins,
dams, leeves and similar structures to protect
the community.
Response (What to do during)
• Evacuate the community immediately if warned
of an impending landslide
• Get out of the house/building as soon as
possible when rumbling sounds are heard from
upstream or when trembling of the ground is
heard. Run across a slope, not downwards.
• Stay away from the path of landslides debris or
seek refuge behind a sturdy tree or structure.
Types of sinkholes
Dissolution sinkholes
Dissolution of the limestone or dolomite is most
intensive where the water first contacts the rock
surface. Aggressive dissolution also occurs where flow is
focused in preexisting openings in the rock, such as
along joints, fractures and bedding planes, and in the
zone of water-table fluctuation where groundwater is in
contact with the atmosphere.

Rehabilitation (What to do after)

• Ask proper authorities to thoroughly examine
damaged structures and utilities before using
these.
• Stay away from the landslides area. There may Cover-subsidence sinkholes
be danger of additional landslides. Cover-subsidence sinkholes tend to develop
• Check caution injured and trapped persons gradually where the covering sediments are permeable
within the landslide area. Direct rescuers to and contain sand. In areas where cover materials is
their locations. thicker or sediments contain more clay, cover-
• Listen to local radio or television station for the subsidence sinkholes and relatively uncommon, are
latest emergency information. smaller, and may go undetected for long periods.
• Seek the advice of an expert for evaluating
landslide hazards or designing corrective
techniques to reduce landslide risk.
•

Sinkholes
Sinkholes are common where the rock below
the land surface is limestone, carbonate rock, salt beds,
or rocks that can naturally be dissolved by groundwater
circulating through them. As the rock dissolves, spaces
and caverns develop underground. Sinkholes are Cover collapsed sinkholes
dramatic because the land usually stays intact for a Cover-collapsed sinkholes may develop abruptly
while until the underground spaces just get too big. If (over a period of hours) and cause catastrophic
there is not enough support for the land above the damages. They occur when the covering sediments
spaces then a sudden collapse of the land surface can contain a significant amount of clay. Over time, surface
occur. These collapses can be small, or they can be huge drainage, erosion and deposition of sinkhole develop
and can occur where a house or road is on top. into a shallower bowl-shaped depression.

Sinkholes can vary from a few feet to hundreds

of acres and from less than 1 to more than 100 feet
deep. Some are shaped like shallow bowls or saucent
whereas others have vertical walls; some hold water
and form natural ponds.

What to do when there is a sinkhole?
1.) Before buying a land or house, do a research if the
area is prone to the occurrence of sinkhole.
2.) Keep a whistle in your pocket or at your home. This
will serve as your signaling device.
3.) If you are already living in an area where there is
frequent occurrence of sinkholes consider moving to a
safer place.
During
1.) When you are trapped in a sinkhole, try to make a
noise but do not tap or dig the soil and rocks around
you because there is a possibility that your movement
could create soil erosion.
2.) If you have a cell phone call for help or rescue.
3.) Stay calm, Save your body energy and wait for
people that may pass by and once it happens, call them
for help and rescue.
After
1.) If you are caught by a sinkhole and able to survive it,
check yourself for any injuries and immediately call
for EMS assistance.
Sinkholes can be human induced
New sinkholes have been correlated to land-use
practice, especially from groundwater pumping and
from construction and development practices. Sinkholes
can also form when natural water-drainage patterns are
change an new water-diversion system are developed.
Some sinkholes form when the land surface is changed,
such as when industrial and runoff-storage ponda are
created. The substantial weight of the new material can
trigger an underground collapse of supporting material,
thus causing a sinkhole.
Sign of Impending Geological Hazards
The following are some of the observable signs that a
landslide is possible to occur in a particular area:
A. Landslide
1. Earlier Landslide as an indicator.
Observing old landslides is a good indication
that the area has an unstable geology, and that more
landslides are likely in the future. Multiple landslides
events in the same place can be retrogressive piecemeal
or reactivated. A reactivated landslide is where
something changed at an old, semi stable landslide,
triggering a new failure at the same location. By looking
around an area a whole lot of old landslides scarps and
deposits are seen, this is a pretty good indication that
even a particular landslides doesn't reactivate, the
underlying geologymakes the whole region unstable
and susceptible to landslides. If a particular landslide
doesn't reactivate, the underlying geology makes the
whole region unstable and susceptible landslides.
2. Tension Cracks
Tension cracks are created by the stress of
geological materials putting apart. They often mark the
eventual landslide scarp, the top edge of the failure
zone. They can be identified as road segments that
constantly need long, thin patches, or out in the wild as
actual cracks in the ground. Tensuon cracks above an
existing landslide can hint at future reactivation.
However, if tension cracks are found on flat ground
they're still being created by extensional stress, but are
more likely related to a fault than a landslide.
3. Things Moving
Observable movement and deformation of
things are also indicated of an impending landslide. The
most common among these is that trees are bending up
in a J-curve as a sign that the ground slops out from
under them. A patch od angled forest on a slope or J-
curved trees somewhere can be good indicator that the
ground is less solid than it seeks. While so far a rapid
landslide, especially if you find intension cracks farther
uphill. Inside structures, signs of slow shifting can be
floors tilting, doors no longer closing properly, or
broken utilities. Creaking and cracking can also be
warning signs.
4. Water Doing Something Different
Another warning sign for a landslide is changes in water
flow. The sudden arrival of water in a spring, seep, or
wet ground somewhere that is usually dry indicates that
something changed, and this change is not to be
trusted. The sudden disappearance of water is just as
ominous. Water levels in a creek suddenly dropping can
be due to an upstream obstruction like a landslide-dam
that will break and send a debris flow rushing
downstream. A debris flow is a very wet, very mobile
landslide where water is loaded with trees, mud, rock,
and everything else caught in the torrent. Low water
level precedes the arrival of the debris flow surge.
This list doesn't cover every possible sign of an
impending landslide, nor does everything on this list
immediately lead to landslide. Listed are warning signs
to help people recognize when it's time to hire an
expert to assess a slope's stability, or to make people
more aware that something is wrong.
Sinkholes
Sinkholes rarely strike without giving some
warning in the surrounding environment or in a nearby
home. Here are some signs to watch for they may
indicate a problem about the present and imminent
danger or sinkhole:

• Trees or fence posts that tilt or fall

• Foundations that slant
• New small ponds that appear after rain
• Cracks in the ground
• Sudden drainage of a pond
• Rapid appearance of a hole in the ground
• Dips, depressions, slopes that appear in a yard
• Dead patches of grass or plants
• Sinkholes in the neighborhood
• Wilted vegetation in a limited area
• Well water that is discolored or contaminated
with debris
• Cracking or buckling of home's concrete slab
• Prescence of odd bugs like slugs and centipedes
in the home
• Earthy odor in home after rain
• New or widening cracks separation between
walls and ceiling or floors
• Cracks in interior walls
• Cracks around door and windowframes
• Cracked grout between tiles
• Cracked tiles
• Stair step cracks in blocks or bricks
• Uneven floors, warping of hardwood, bulging or
sagging sections
• Doors or windows that don't open or close
easily
• Cracks in sheetrock near doors or windows
All homes are subject to settling characteristics.

Any of these signs could exist without the prescence of

a sinkhole. However, the presence of one or more of
these signs calls further careful observation and
abundance of caution.