Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Geological hazards are natural phenomena that cause major problems all over the world. Landslides occur when the slope changes from a stable to an unstable condition. A
The expansion and development of cities lead to an increase in impact and damage due to change in the stability of a slope can be caused by a number of factors, acting together or
geological hazards. In general, most of the geological hazards are related to natural alone.
conditions, although some may be due to human activities. Natural causes of landslides include:
o Earthquakes & Volcanic eruptions Groundwater (pore water) pressure acting to destabilize the slope
– common geological hazards causing massive devastation Loss or absence of vertical vegetative structure, soil nutrients, and soil structure
Other Geological Hazards and their Causes [defined by US Geological Science (USGS)] (e.g., after a wildfire)
Erosion of the toe of a slope by rivers or ocean waves
Ȣ Rainfall-Induced Landslide Weakening of a slope through saturation by snow melt, glaciers melting, or heavy
Landslide – a massive outward and downward movement of slope forming rains
materials. The term landslide is restricted to movements of rocks and soil masses. Earthquakes adding leads to barely stable slope
Theses masses may range in size up to entire mountainsides. Their movements may Earthquake-caused liquefaction destabilizing slopes
vary in velocity. Volcanic eruptions
A landslide is initiated when a section of a hill slope or sloping section of a
Houses and vehicles are buried under debris of logs and earth close to the shore of
seabed is rendered too weak to support its own weight. This is generally triggered Real town, Quezon province on 06 December 2004 following the flash flood and landslides.
1 by other natural hazards such as prolonged, heavy rainfall or by other sources of Thousands were left homeless and about 1400 dead and missing from the twoSquidinger
storms.
www.gettyimages.com
water which increase the water content of the slope materials.
Landslide as a geological Landslides are also aggravated by human activities such as:
hazard is caused by earthquake or
volcanic eruption. Susceptibility of Deforestation
hill slope is developed as a result of Cultivation destabilize the already fragile slopes
denudation of mountainsides which Construction
removes the trees or ground cover Vibrations from machinery or traffic
that holds the soil, or alteration of Blasting (e.g. as miners normally do)
the surface of the ground like Earthwork which alters the shape of a
grading for roads or building slope, or which imposes new loads on an
constructions. existing slope
In shallow soils, the removal or deep-
An aerial view shows the extent of the landslide that buried rooted vegetation that binds colluvium to
the whole village of Ginsaugon, St. Bernard town in Southern Leyte
province in central Philippines. Saturday, Feb.18, 2006
bedrock (e.g. kaingin farming
www.chinadaily.com.cn system)
Use of substandard construction materials was
identified as one of the culprits of the tragedy. Source:
slideshare.net
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
Types of Sinkholes (Source: US Geological Services – USGS)
resources. For example, water supplies, fisheries, sewage disposal systems, forests,
dams and roadways can be affected for years after a slide event. o Dissolution Sinkholes
The negative economic effects of landslides include the cost to repair structure, loss Dissolution of the limestone or dolomite is the most intensive where the
of property value, disruption of transportation routes, medical costs in the event of water first contacts the rock surface. Aggressive dissolution also occurs where flow
injury, and indirect costs such as lost timber and lost fish stocks. Water availability, is focused in pre-existing openings in the rock, such as along joints, fracture, and
quantity and quality can be affected by landslides. Geotechnical studies and engineering bedding planes, and in the zone of water-table fluctuation where groundwater is in
projects to assess and stabilize potentially dangerous sites can be costly. contact with the atmosphere. (See illustration below)
1999 Cherry Hill Subdivision Landslide Rainfall and surface water
2006 Southern Leyte Mudslide percolate through joints in the
limestone. Dissolved carbonate
Ȣ Sinkholes rock is carried away from the
2 Sinkholes are common where the rock below the land surface is limestone, surface and a small Squidinger
depression
carbonate rock, salt beds, or rocks that can be naturally dissolved by groundwater gradually form.
circulating through them.as the rock dissolves, spaces and caverns develop
underground. On exposed carbonate
Sinkholes are dramatic because the surfaces, a depression may
land usually stays intact for a while until the focus surface drainage,
underground spaces just get too big. If there accelerating the dissolution
is not enough support for the land above the process. Debris carried into the
spaces then a sudden collapse of the land developing sinkhole may plug
surface can occur. These collapses can be the outflow, ponding water and creating wetlands.
small, or they can be huge and can occur o Cover-subsidence sinkholes
where a house or road is on top.
Cover-subsidence sinkholes tend to develop gradually where the covering sediments
150-meter-wide sinkhole in Benguet swallows 5 are permeable and contain sand. In areas where cover material is thicker or sediments
houses and threatens 500 others.. strangesounds.org
contain more clay, cover-subsidence sinkholes are relatively uncommon, are smaller, and
Sinkholes can vary from a few feet to hundreds of acres and less than 1 to more than 100 may go undetected for long periods. (See illustration below)
feet deep. Some are shaped like shallow ______ or saucers whereas other have vertical
walls; some hold water from natural ponds.
1. Earlier Landslide as an indicator
Observing old landslides is a good indication that the area has unstable geology, and
that more landslides are likely in the future. Multiple landslide events in the same place can
be retrogressive, piecemeal, or reactivated.
o Cover-collapse sinkholes A reactivated landslide is where something changed at an old, semi-stable landslide,
triggering a new failure at the same location. By looking around area a whole lot of old
Cover-collapse sinkholes may develop abruptly (over a period of hours) and cause landslide scraps and deposits are seen, this is a pretty good indication that even if a
catastrophic damages. They occur where the covering sediments contain a significant particular landslide doesn’t reactivate, the underlying geology makes the whole region
amount of clay. Over time, surface drainage, erosion, and deposition of sinkhole develop unstable and susceptible to landslides.
into a shallower bowl-shaped depression. (See illustration below)
2. Tension Cracks
Tension cracks are created by the stress of geological material pulling 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. Tension cracks above an existing landslide can hint at a future
3 Squidinger
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
Source: blog.noah.dost.gov.ph
6 Squidinger
Source: blog.noah.dost.gov.ph
------------------------------------SUMMARY-----------------------------------
Aside from earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, which are the most common
geological hazards, there are other elated hazards that may also bring destruction to life
and property. These are the following: landslides, avalanches, sinkholes, flash floods,
mudflows and erosions.
Most of these hazards are sudden phenomena, which mean, that it is hard for
an ordinary person and having no technical knowledge, to predict their occurrence.
However, after some studies and technical observations, experts were able to observe
some signs, specifically for an impending landslide or signs that an area is a potential
7 sinkhole. Recognizing these signs will give a person or a group great advantage as to Squidinger
how the risk of a landslide or sinkhole could be reduced or mitigated.