LANDSLlDES IN THE TROPICAL REGION OF RIO DE JANEIRO

GL/SSEMENTS DE TERRES AU REG/ON TROPICALE DU RIO

F. EMMANUEL BARATA
Engineering Schoo/, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

SYNOP5IS - The Hill-510p es of Tropical Mountainous Regions are submitte d to the concom it a n­
ce of an extremely severe weatheringprocess and th e occurrence of raining seasons of long
duration and high intensity. Sue h circunstance favours and increments the probability of
Landslides, that become catastrophic when the Hill-Slopes are situated in or near the large
human aglomerations . On the ·s u b ject and concerning the problems of Rio de Janeiro, the Au­
tor brings his contribution.

1. INTR OD UTI ON 2. GENERAL I NFORMATIONS ABOUT RIO REG 10M

The City of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil,owing
to its geographical, geological, climatic
and human characteristics, has always been
submitted to problems of landslides. Untill
1961, the phen omen on had been processed wi­
t ho ut se rious consequences. In 1962,coinci­
dent with a substantially re i ning summer,
had place the first large urban land s lide
of Rid, the " Querosene Hill Landslide". Af ­
ter a 4-years interval, the City was wasted
- for two consecutive years, in the 19 66 ­
19 67 summers - b y uncommon and catastrophi c
number of landslides of every type, causing
the lost of hu ndred peoples, the destru c ­
tion of innumerable properties (houses,buil
dings, industries, walls, e tc .), roads and ­
runways, besides the transitory disorganiza
tion of the community.
The accidents Df 1966 - 1967 were due,
mainly to the occurrence of exceptional ra­
ins, the largest for the last BO years . The
phenom e non alarmed not onl; the government,
autorities and people in general, but also
the engineers- e v e n the specialists in 50il
Mechanics and Applied Geology-became amazed
with the intensity and exten si on of the pro
blem. It is noteworthy to mention that f o-­
reign specialists that had visited the ci ­
ty during or after the cat a strophe, said
that "the slope-stability pro b lems of Rio a
re,probably,larger than that Df any other si
milar town Df the world". (JONE5, 1967).
In v i e w Df the general i nterest in the
subject - mainly for engineer s and applied
geologists Df similar regions in other coun
tries and continents - the Au thor presen ts ­
several basic data for better c haracteriza­
tion Df Rio de Janeiro r egion, as those are
important to the understanding Df its geote
chnical and geolog i cal problems.
Otherwise, the res idu a l and colluvial t~
rains Df the City, the t ype s and shapes of­
Hill-Slopes, the cha r acte ri stics Df the L a~
dslides and the measures for its pre vent i on
and correct i on are analysed and discussed.
2.1. GEOGRAPHICAL DATA
Th e average geographical coordinates of
the City of Rio de Janeiro are 222 54 '(Sou
th lat .) and 432 10' (West Greenwich long.).
It is situated immediately below the Tropic
of Capricornio, and belongs to the State of
Guanabara, the most recent State of the Bra
zilian Federation (N.B.:this State was criã
ted in april of 1960 , thogether with the i~
nauguration of Brasilia, the new Capital of
the Country).
The Guanabara State has varying topogra­
phy, presenting deep contrasts between cha­
in of mountains, alluv i al plains an d isola­
ted hills . (Fig.l). There are three main
chains - Tiju ca - Carioca Pedra Branca
­ and Gericino - whose two highest peaks reach
1020 meters (TE[XEIRA GUERRA,1965).The al ­
luvial pla in s ("Baixadas " ) are distributed
by four main areas : the Urban Baixada (wich
includes the Comm~rcial Center, the South
Zone and the Northern Zone of the City),the
Guanabara Baixada, the Jacarepagua Baixada
and the Sepetiba Baixada. Isolated Hills are
dispersed through the plains, and are, in ge
general, less than 250 meters high. ­
Today's pop ulation of Guanabara State is
aproximately 4,5 mil lion s more than BO% of
which are concentr~ted i n the eastern third
part (aprox.400 km ) of the State territory,
­ which constitutes the City of Rio proper
(the Commercial Center, the Urban and Subur
ban main Districts and the touristic regio~
Such area includes the Urban Baixada and the
Guanabara Bai x ada, entirely, the Jacarepa­
gua Baixada, pa rti ally , and the whole chain
of Tijuca - Carioca Mountains . The remain­
ning area (2/3 of the Territo ry) - in spite
­ of presenting some small urban sub-centers
in development - const itut es the Rural and
agricultural zones, having little and scar­
ce popul at ion.

507
 EMMANUEL BARATA

o TO 200 m (-25% )

200 TO 500 m (- 10%)

L::<:{;J > 500 m (-4%) .~~Q~t-A"(,

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FIG. 1 - Orography Df Guanabara State

2.2. HISTORICAL DATA ABOUT THE GROWTH DF roads - that reach + 300m to + 400m (ex.:
THE CITY the roads Df Corcovado, A.B.Vista,Grajau-Ja
The original urban nucleus was establi­ carepaguá,etc) and people are starting to -
shed in the XVI ~entury, on the Castelo Hi! build on its borders and neighbourhoods.
l,not more than'200 m high (NOVAES PIN­ 2.3. GEOLOGICAL ASPECTS
TO, 1965).N.B.: That Hill was razed in 1922
for enlargement Df the Commercial Center). The predominant rocks ~re gneisses which
Next were occupied the lowlands near the represent about 38% Df the State's territo­
Guanabara Bay. This occupation lasted for ry (TEIXEIRA GUERRA,op.cit.), while the gra
the XVI,XVII and XVIII Centuries, carrying nites take up 20%. In very small proportion
an intensive work Df reclamation Df swamps there are alkaline rocks (Phonolites, Lam­
and marshy lands. In the beginni~g, beyond profires,etc.) and dykes Df diabase and ba­
the Castelo Hill, were also inhabitted so­ salto The Author will emphasize the gneiss­
me other small and isolateu hills, near the e8, because they are spread mainly in the 8
Center. astern part Df the State, were the City is­
2.2.1 THE OCCUPATION DF HILL SLOPES concentrated.
The gneisses constitute almost integral­
The human occupation Df the Hill-Slopes ly the big (urban) chain Df Tijuca-Carioca
("Encostas") Df medium elevation started in and the respective appendices. They are
XIX Century. Finally, in the XX Century, wi classified according to the following ty­
th the large and accelerated development Df pes (SILVEIRA,1952,HELMBOLD,1965,C.N.Pq.,
the City - mainly during the last 25 years 1966):
(SEGADAS SOARES, 1965) - the modern streets
roadways, houses and buildings penetrated a. LENTICULAR GNEISS - that is also called
the inner valleys Df the territory,and rai­ FACOIDAL or PORPHYROID; it is a microline­
sed and occupied definitely and progressive gneiss, presenting sometimes feldspar crys
ly the Hill-Slopes Df the big mountains,re~ tals Df large dimensions (facoids); it cons
quiring, thenceforth, ever increased cuts titutes the most part Df the Peaks and abru
and excavations. pt Scarps Df the Urban chain (ex.: the Cor~
Observing the present Plan Df the- Town cova do Peak, The Sugar Loaf, the Gavea Sca­
it is quite evident that all the fringe Df rp, etc.);
Hill-Slopes, from the plain untill the ele b. LEPTINITE GNEISS - that is also a micro­
vation + 60m to + 80m, is covered by stre~ line-gneiss, but having a very laminated
ets and buildings Df every size. On some texture; it is Df light tonality, rich in
Hill-Slopes the construction reaches higher quartz and with small percent Df mica; oc­
level (+ 100m to + 150m), as is the case Df cupies small area in the City, being res­
Santa Tereza, Catumbi,Rio Comprido,Tijuca, tricted to the Hill-Slopes Df South-Santa
etc. Moreover,there are some new roads on Tereza, Laranjeiras and Corcovado Hill;
the mountains - specifically the touristic c. BIOTITIC GNEISS - very rich in biotite,

508
 LANDSLlDES IN TROPICAL REG/ON
3nd therefore is of dark shade; it is call­
3d KINZIGITO when is rich in granada,silli­
ranite and cordierita, having then a schis­
~ose texture; it is the more widely spread
º~eiss, crossing integrally the State, in
the NW - SE direction.
=.MIGMATITE - that is a granitic-gneiss, of
~ixed origin; it constitutes the small hil­
ls and, thus, it hasn t the importance of
1 3.THE
t he others.
2.4. CLIMATIC ASPECTS
In spite of its small territory,the Gua­
n abara States has a large variety of clima­
:ic nuances, quite uncom~nn in other parts
Jf the world (SERRA and RATISBONNA,1941).Su
=h fact is due to the conjugation of seve-­
~al geographic factors,mainly: a. the lati­
tude, inducing the concentration of tropi­
cal masses so much in the Summer (continen­
:al tropical mass) as in the Winter (atlan­
tic tropical mass); b. the characteristic
~osition of the State along the Brazilian li
toral, where it changes its direction N-S ­
~nd turns to E-W, becoming exposed to the
jirect action of polar winds from the South
uhich promote quick and intense variation of
temperature; c. the existence and orientati
~n of the mountains, interfering with the ­
c i rculation of the dry or humid-cold or hot
-air masses, etc.
Recent research (SOUTO MAIOR,1954) has
=lassified the climate of Guanabara (Rio de
Janeiro) under two main t~oes, according to
:he criterion of KOPPEN:
TYPE A - "Hot and Humid Tropical climate";
i s the predominant in the State, presenting
three varieties, corresponding to the preci
~itation through the year, particularly in
:he Summer (December,January and February)
and the Winter (June, July and August),Le.:
5ub-Type Aw - of humid Summer and almost dry
jinter; spreadi over the most part of the
5tate, mainly the "Baixadas"; in these are­
as, the monthly Summer rainfall exceeds 150
~m and in Winter, 30mm; the anual p~ecipita
:ion is higher than 1000mm;
Sub-Type Am - of humid Summer and almost hu
nid Winter; it is a transition between Aw
~nd Af; occurs in the narrow zone of the li
toral, at the foot of the mountains,turning
Southward; the Summer monthly rainfall is
~ore than 150mm and in the Winter, more th~
SOmm; the anual precipitation is over 1300
r,m;
Sub-Type Af - of humid Summer and Winter
lhas no dry season); occurs at the Hill-Slc
~es of the mountains (mainly the steep onei
f acing to south) up tot the leveI + 500mm
the Summer rainfall is over 170mm,and in ~e
~inter more than BOmm; the anual precipita­
tion is over 1600 mm;
TYPE C - "Rainy and Temperate Climate",res­
tricted to the
Sub-Type Cfa, distinguished by the humidity
~nd mtiderate temperature, due to altitude
effect (is aIs o called "tropical of altitu­
:le"); has hot (more than 22ºC) Summer; is ty
picaI of the mountainous region above + 500
", and is restricted to a small area (5%) ~
the State; there are few data about this re
gion.
MEDINA, 1964, calculated for Rio de Janeiro
a "Thornth-Waite Moisture Index" TMI= -0,02,
which corresponds to a Sub-Humid Climate
(from dry to humid) in the Thornthwaite Uas
sification. Medina based his calculation on
observations made in the Baixada zones (Aw
climate of K~ppen).
TERRAINS OFTHE REGION
The'~ai x adas" are constituted, in general,
of sedimentary terrains (alluvial,deltoid
and marine),geologically recent and some
still undergoing evolution (the Sepetiba Bai
xada, for exemple). There are many sandy ­
plains, organic-soil (silty and clayey) and
peat deposits, besides large areas of arti­
ficial fills in the urban and harbour-zones.
However, the residual terrains are more spr­
ead, occupying the hills, the mountainous re
gions and pratically alI the area above le-­
vel ~ 20m (FROES ABREU,1957). The residual
soil is common even in the 'Baixadas",on the
surface of the terrain or at small depth be
low sedimentary layers. We seldom find a se
dimentary soil directly settled on the rock
1sound or with little alteration) - There
exists, almost, always, an intermediar~ re­
sidual mantle.
The colluvial terrains and "talus" occur
at the foot of Rock Scarps. They are not so
frequent as the others and their characte­
ristics are still little kn ~n .
3.1. RESIDUAL TERRAINS
They appear at the surface of more than
50% of the total area of the State. In the
City pro per (see item 2.1), it is probable
that more than 70% of the area is coated by
the residual mantle. In the medium and high
topography zones, the residual" mantle is
constant.
The residual materiaIs result mainly ~m
the Weathering of gneisses and granites.The
Weathering action is very intensive in the
Region, owing to the climatic conditi~ns
­ (see item 2.4.). The resulting profile ten­
ds to assume - when the evolution is advan­
ce and corresponds to a more general case ­
the characteristics of the figure (Fig. 2).
The origin and evolution of the residual
terrains of Rio de Janeiro are very similar
to the process explained by RUXTON and BER­
RY, relating to the Hong Kong granites. In
Fig. 2, the diferents layers are correlated
with the symbols of Ruxton and Berry. The
denominations of figo 2 are quite well known
by the Brazilian engineers (see VARGAS,1953)
Thus:
a. MATURE RESIDUAL SOIL - Is the oldest lay
er and doesn 1 t have neither the appearance
nor the structure of the Mother Rock,owing
to its decomposition, alteration and evolu­
tion; it is constituted of clayey soil (sa­
nd-silty clays or sand-clayey silts),kaoli­
nitic, very cohesive and plastic when resul
ting from weathered biotite-gneisses and ­
migmatites, and cohesive and less plastic
when resulting from leptinite gneiss; its
common colour is red or yellow-reddish -due
to the presence of iron-oxides; the Mature
Layer attains at thickness from 5m to 10m in
509
 EMMANUEL SARATA
4. TVPES AND SHAPES DF HILL-SLoPES
There is a large variety of types and
(I) shapes of HILL-SLoPES ("Encostas") in Rio
de Janeiro; they may be classified as fol­
lows:
SCARPS (Fig. 3) are very steep rocky Hill
{n· A) Slopes, with neither vegetation nor earth ­
mantle: its average inclination is higher
(Il.· ) than 6~i~height may attain hundreds of me­
ters. There are Natural and Artificial Scar
~. The Plane Natural Scarps are almost pl~
ne walls, having natural origin from an old
geologic faulting (see item 2.3.) or from a
permanent process of superficial erosion
and thermic exfoliation. There are also ma­
ny artificial Scarps, remainders of old
quarry e x ploration. These arealmost verti­
cal and reach tenths of meters in height(N .
• /fISSUREO B. - nowadays there is a municipal law that
.~(w) forbids the exploration of quarries in ur­
ban zones). TherB are also many Curve Natu­
ral Scarps, mainly the "encircled front" ty
-I " ".,: , , " -I.
-I"
"MOi~ER
y.ROCI< (IV)
pe, whose main example is the "Sugar Loaf".
The Natural Scarps, in general, are quite
" common in the Tijuca-Carioca mountains.

FIG.2 - Complete profile of a Residual TeITa~ .,

general, and even more, excepcionally;
b. VoUNG RESIDUAL SoILS - Is more recent

than the mature soil and keeps, sometimes,

the appearance and structure of the mother

Rock (~s also called SoIL DF ROCK ALTERATI­

ON and, popularly, "SAIBRO"); has a coarse

texture (sand sílts or silty sands, with fra

ctured or ~tBred graveI and micaceous -·ve=

ry micaceous when from biotite-gneiss); eve

ntually, contains pebbles, stones and even­

boulders within its mass; its colours may

be grey, yellow, brown etc.; the layer at­

tains a thickness bigger than that of the

mature Layer's sometimes thicker than 20 m;

c. VERV ALTERED RoCK - Is the transition be

tween the Voung Residual Soil and the Rock

Proper; it is constituted of fragmentary mass

of altered rock elements, of alI sizes, sur

rounded and intersected by veins or spots õf

mature and/or young residual soil; this lay

er is impenetrable by the common wash-bor­

FIG. 3 - Natural Scarp
ing equipment; with rotary drilling however,
the recuperation is very small. ROCK-SURFACES are non-scarped rocky Hill­
d. FISSURED oR FRACTURED ROCK - Is the rock Slopes.

with its system of joints, fissures and fra

EARTHY HILL-SLoPES constitutes the most
ctures, whose elements are still little or
non-weathered; the joints may present some
clayey material fillin~ (generally of mont­
morillonitic character):
e. mOTHER ROCK - Is the original rock base­ and Thick-mantle on the less steep ones (bru
ment, practically sound and perfect.
3.2. COLLUVIAL TERRAINS
They occur at the foot of rock Scarps,of
steep mixed Hill-Slopes and of earthy "Bar­
randos" (see item 4, next). The oldest lay­
ers of colluvial terra in may have undergone
euolution for long time, acquiring the ape­
arance of a residual terrain, making diffi­
cult to distinguish between the two types.
The permeability normally is high in these
terrains (N.B.: Other details are given in
part of the slopes of small to medium incli­
nation. They occupy large areas of the City.
When of residual origin. they have Shallow­
mantle on the steeper-slopes (above 30 Q),
low 30Q). The Earthy Hill-Slopes of colluvi~
aI origin tBnd to be very flat, except when
quite near the Scarps and "Barrancos", f 'rom
wich they are originated.
"BARRANCOS" are Earthy Hill-Slopes of ve
ry steep - almost vertical - inclination.
They are of natural (resulting from fluvial
or marine erosion) or of artificial origin
(resulting from excavations for building or
from exploration of loam or "saibro"). The
"Barrancos" are, in general, of precarious
stability.

item 5.2).

510
 LANDSLlDES IN TROPICAL REGION

SCARPs I NATURAL{
PLANE

tOF FAULT

DF EROsIDN

CURVE(CONVEX)
{ DF LIIYlITED FRDNT

DF ENCIRCLED FRONT
ROCK Y LANE

ARTIFIC { CURVE(CONCAVE)

ROCK-sURFACEs
DF sHALLOW IYIANTLE
RESIDUAL
DF SIYIALL TO IYIEDIurn{ { DF THICK IYIANTLE
I NCLINATION .
COLUVIAL OR
HILL-SLOPEs EART HY DF TALUs
('E ! ' c:~sTA"
)
NATURAL
DF VERY sTEEP IN=
CLINATION( "BARRA~ { ARTIFICIAL
COs")

sCARPs(OR ROCK-sLOPEs) "IIlH RESIDUAL IYIANTLE

IN PROGREss

RESIDUAL IYIANTLEs IN PROCEss DF DETERIORATION WITH

Il1IXED TENDENCY DF ORIGINATE sCARPs OR ROCK-sLOPEs).

WITH sTONEs AND BOULDERs WITHIN OR AT sURFACE

DF EARTH IYIANTLEs

Il1IXED HILL-sLOPEs are those in which coe­

i st earthy mantles and rock emergences.
- r ey are, in general, transition types,i.e.,
~. scarps of medium inclination with arisin
~ residual mantles, or b. Ea rthy Hill-slo-­
Jes of medlum to steep inclination and shal
~Jw mantle, in wich the landslides and ero~
oion scarpe the surface.
Also as lYIi xed Hill-slopes, we ma y consi­
jer the earthy slopes with stones and boul­
j ers enclosed or laid on its surface. The
:~ulders are as much of colluvial ("talus"
ó eposit near the scarps) as of residual 0­
- igin. The residual boulders are autochtho
ous,Le., they belong to and originated in
:he m~ss of residual soil by which they "are
5urrounded. Its emergence occurs after a de
:ayed process 6f erosion of the surrouding­
30il (RUELLAN, 1944). Thera are many exam­
~ les of this t ype on Hill-slopesin Rio de
J~neiro, some of them with thousands of sro
,es boulders of alI sizes. ( Fig. 4).
CHARACTERIsTICs DF LANDsLIDEs DF RIO DE

JANEIRO

The landslides (this expression is used FIG. 4 - Hill-Slope with residual boulders
here in the general sense, i.e., denoting
alI movements involving soils and rock ele­

511
 EMMANUEL
ments) are Df alI classic types, but assu­
me peculiar aspects in some cases. Accor­
ding to the criterion Df VARNES,1958,with
slight modifications, the Landslides belong
to the following t~pes:
FALL
RDLLINC
SLDUJ
FLDUJ
mDVEmENlS DF { RAPID
SDILS AND RD
CK ELEmENlÇ
RDlATIDNAL
SLIDE
{ PLANAR
CDrfiPLEX
lhe FalI Df rock elements (boulders and
plates) is quite common in the abrupt Scar­
ps (natural or artificial). It occurs, also
with earthy lumps from the "Barrancos" in e
volution. ­
lhe Rolling is the typical movement Df
the stones and boulders when detaching from
its original bed at the surface Df Earthy
Hill-Slopes. lhat is the origin Df many ac
cidents during the rainy seasons.
lhe Slow-Flow is very peculiar to the
Colluvial Hill-Slopes Df very small inclina
tion (lDº to 2Dº), but may occur also in the
Residual terrains, when the slope is cut a­
cross the young soil, Df friable characte­
ristics, i.e., presenting a high initial re
siitance which is lost suddenly after largi
deformation. In tropical conditions the pro
cess tends to accelerate in the rainy peri~
od, mainly in colluvial terrains (see item
5.2).
lhe most common type Df Rapid-Flow, are
the AVALANCHES Df soil and rock elements,
which occur mainly in the rainy season (du
ring or after heavy rains), in Earthy Hill­
Slopes Df medium to steep inclination, and
Df shallow mantle. In general, the Avalan­
ches are wet flows composed Df materiaIs Df
the Young Residual Layers, which are predo­
minant in the shallow mantles. lhe Avalan­
ches starts as a normal slide, but it beco­
mes accelerated owing to two cOnditions: 1.
lhe Young Layer is quite permeable and beco
mes saturated with relative facilityj when­
the downward movement starts, the mass chan
ges in a fluid, very quicklYj 2. the slope­
is Df medium to steep inclination and fair­
ly long, allowing the development Df the
phenomenon without obstacles.
lhe SI ides are the most common type Df
landslides. lhe Rotational SI ides only oc­
cur in the Hill-Slopes Df thick mantle Df
mature residual soil, where the rupture sur
face develops freely. lhe Planar SI ides ari
typical Df the Hill-Slopes with shallow man
tle, where the rupture surface develops al ~
most conditioned through the contact Df the
soil with the rock basement. It is worth no
ting that the Rotational Slides have been ­
and are being in most cases caused by ' huma­
ns, while the natural slides(without humam
512
BARATA
action) tend to be Df the Planar type.
lhe Complex Landslides are quite common,
also. lhey are combinations Df other types,
mainly: a. Slides that become Avalanchesjb.
FalI conjugated with or transformed in Rol­
ling, etc.
5.1. CAUSES DF LANDSL IDES
lhe landslides Df Rio de Janeiro occur aI
most totally during the rainy season and,ma~
inly, in or after the heavy rains. lherefoie
it seems that the main cause Df landslides
in Rio is the water action (by erosion, in­
filtration, increase Df weight,pore pressu
re, solifluction, etc.). lhe main, but obvT
ously not the only cause. In fact, there a~
re many other influential causes Df natural
and artificial origino And the artificial
causes have in Rio de Janeiro, perhaps, so
much weight as the water effects. It was e­
vident durin9 the exceptional rainy periods
Df 1966-1967, when the City Hill-Slopes we­
re much more damaged than the Hill-Slopes Df
the rural, the agricultural and the Virgin
zone s.
So, we must conclude that the problem Df
landslides in Rio de Janeiro - as shou ld be
in any large and densely populated town Df
mountainous tropical region, and differen­
tly Df similar towns in cold and temperated
countries - is largely dependent Df the con ­
jugation Df geological, hidrological and hu­
man factors.
For illustration and clearness, it is con
venient to refer to the main artificial (Hu~
man) causes - ancient and modern - Df l ands­
lides in Rio:
a. Cuts and Excavations on Hill-Slopes - for
construction Df houses, buildings and other
structures, Df streets, roads, tunnels,etc.j
for exploration Df quarries, "saibro" etc.
b. Destruction Df Vegetal Covering - for
construction Df slums ("favelas") and other
concentrated habitations on the Hill-Slopesj
C . Action Df Loads and Surcharges - houses,
buildings and other structures, several mate­
riaIs (rubbish, trash, etc.), built or depo~
A sited along and on the top Df Hill-Slopesj
d. 'Removing Df Supports - demQlition Df old
retaining walls, plateaus and buildings, on
or near the Hill-Slopesj
e. Explosions - in construction jobsj for
exploration Df quarries, etcj
f. mix causes.
5.2. lHE FDRmAlIDN DF CDLLUVIAL HILL-SLDPES
AND lHE mrCHA~ISm DF lHEIR mDVEmENlS
It is important to analyse the origin
and formation Df the colluvial Hill-Slopes
Df Rio de Janeiro and the mechanism Df their
movements in tropical environment. lhe Au­
thor will concern specially with the deposi­
ts situated under the rock Scarps and mixed
Hill-Slopes (Scarps in formation or evolu­
tion - see item 4), considering their large
number and frequent occurrence, their "sui
generis" character and the enormous proble­
ms and apprehension they are causing. (Fig.
5) .
 LANDSLIDES IN TROPICAL REG/ON
FIG. 5 - Colluvium near Scarp
Such deposits are, in general, composed
of mixtures of rock elements and soil mas­
ses which falI, roll and slip from the ~ar
;JS. In the case af rocky Scarps, the earth­
contribution cbmes from the flatty top whe­
re the residual soil develops and iseroded
ay the water. This is a dynamic and still
current processo
The Colluvial Hill-Slopes have, normall~
a "neck" of steep inclination in the con -
tact with the Scarpsj the "neck" is conti­
,ued downward by a "loin" of smaller incli­
'lat ion. The "neck" 'is a more recent accumu­
l ation than the "loin", because it receives
jirectly the detritus that descend from the
Scarp. The "loin", in spite of to be older,
'ay also receive some detritus, mainly the
,ound-shape stones and boulders - the plate
~nd prismatic elements settle on the neck -
2nd the fine material carried by the run­
:Jff water.
As the deposit increases permanently in
~ he time, it tends to become unstable,main­
l y during the rainy periods, when it recei­
.as water in two ways: a. directly and uni­
~armly alI over the surface of the slopejb.
:y larger and concentrated afflux into the
=~ ntact with the Scarp, the afflux being so
u ch larger as the contributory area Df the
Sc arp is spread. 50, it follows:
Owing to a normally high permability the
j sposit becomes eatured quite easily, with
_a rge increase of its weightj
:1. As the afflux to the "neck" is larger,
~t will be saturated faster than the "lo in"
erge; there will be a tendency of downward
-o vement, and a consequent formation of a
:=ne of fluency (or even a potencial surfa­
~ 2 of slide) within the massj
:1 1. As the "neck" constitutes a loose and
~ ~eep zone in the deposit its movement is
::2 rger and faster j thus, the "neck" detach
cf slide in relation to the Scarp, oppening
~ ~rack in the contact with the rock,throu­
places a preferencial and
2sie r ingress of the water coming down froo
-2 Scarpj
513
IV. The water which penetrates that upper
crack attains quickly - fester than the uni
form infiltration through the surface of tEe
loin - the inner parts of the deposit, par­
ticularly the zones of fluency and poten­
cial rupturej high pore-pressures are deve­
loped in these zones, besides the decrease
of shear resistance, and movements are con­
sequently generatedj
V.. The movement of a Colluvial has ndrmally
the characteristics of a extremely SLOlli
FLOlli, with cyclic increments of speedj the
movement is intensified in the rainy-period
and prosecute along the dry-season with pro
gressive damping, till the next rain,when ­
it is accelerated again, etc, etc. This cy­
clic process is related with the function
af the basin of the Colluvial Deposit that
behaves as a large reservoir, accumulating
water during the rain-falls and liberating
it slowly during the dry-seasonj
VI. An exceptional rainy-season, with hea­
vy rains - as happened in 1966-1967 (see
next item 6.) - can originate a movement of
large speed and deformationj
VII. The phenomenon is aggravated when the
Man excavates the foot of Colluvium - and
this has happened frequently in Rio de Ja­
neiro too.
6. THE LARGE LANDSLIDES AND ACCIDENTS DF
1966 - 1967
6.1 THE EXCEPTIONAL RAIN - SEASONS
According to the published data (SURSAN,
1966)j VEIGA PIRES et aI, 1966 and 1967),
the rains of the summers of 1966 and 1967
exceeded alI maxima known and registered in
Rio de Janeiro. The rains of January 1966
caused surprise, mainly for its long dura­
tion and high intensity. They were ascri­
bed to the followin~ phenomenon (VEIGA PI­
RES et aI, op. cit.): - occurred a shock
between a cold mass coming from South and a
continental tropical mass which was statio­
nary above the Guanabaraj both masses remai
ned more than three days, with a total pre~
cipitation of more than 600mm in some areasj
and with an a~erage (over the whole urban a
rea of 400 km ) of 270mm. Itls noteworthy ­
that the Normal Annual Average of Janeiro
is only 150mm - 200mm, with Maximum of 400
mm (over the "Baixadas" with Aw climate),
500mm. (aver the foat of the Mountains a~d
at medi um altitude with Af climate) and a­
raund 700mm, over the Mountains (Af-Cfa cli
mate). ­
The Table I gives a summary of the main
observations of 1966 and 1967.
It is remarkable that the heavier rains
registered till that time were 96,5mm per
hour (4/25/18B6) and 223mm per 24 hours
(4/26/1B83) in Metereological Observatcry
Station,. and 71mm per hour and 290mm per 24
hours, after 1940, in Batanical Garden Sta­
tion.
An other important detail is that the s­
torm of Jannuary 11-12-13,1966 and of Febru
ary 17-1B-19, 1967, were preceded by moderã
tely rainy days. Thus, in Jannuary 1966, ir
had rained an amount of 57,3mm during the 5
preceding days (A.B.Vista Statian). In Te­
bruary 1967 it had rained 37,7mm during the
 EMMANUEL BARATA
TA8LE

UI Mf\.LU I M unL.UL~ .LIV .J..JULJ 67

..I.JUI

Average Rainfall ~mm)

extending to alI
mONTH LOCAL RAINFALL (mm) Urban area (400 Km2)

YEAR AN D
DAY TImE PERIoD (HOUR) 4 24 48 72
5TATION CLImATE
1 24 72 hours hours hours hours
,
1966 JANUARY
11 8.Corumbá(Tijuca)-Af - 287 631,6
1

12 Alto da 80a Vista-Af.Cfa - 306 - 20 97 242 270

I

13 Alto da Boa Vista-Af.Cfa - 1

133 675,5
J.Botânico - Am - - 487,3

FE8RUA~ Y

25 80tafogo-Af 94 109 -
8.Corumbá (Tijuca)-Af - 100,6 - 34
Alto da 80a Vista-Af.Cfa 38,8 47,1
mARCH
26 8.Corumbá (Tijuca)-Af - 282 -
Alto da 80a Vista-Af-Cfa 72,3 321 - 45
Eng.D e ntro-Aw 103,6 166 -
1967 ~ANUAR Y
22 8. Corumbá (Tijuca)-Af - 95 -
Alto da 80a Vista-Af.efa - 90,2 -
23 8.Cor umbá (Tijuca)=Af - 63,3 -
Alto da Boa Vista-Af-efa 83,5 177 ,O - 4 35

FEBRUARY
17 Alto da Boa Vista-Af-ef a - 113,2 -
Leblon - Am - 97,0 -
Eng. Dentro - Aw - 60,3 -
Laranjeiras - Af - 43,0 -
1.8 Alto da 80a Vista-Af-Cfa - 136,0 . -
Leblon - Am - 145,0 - 5 49 250
Eng.Dentro-Aw - 120,8 -
Laranjeiras-Af - 16B,0 -
19 Alto da 80a Vista-Af-Cfa - 152,0 401,2
Leblon-Am - 23,4 265,4
Eng.Dentro-Aw - 197,8 378,9
La ranjeiras - Af - 137,2 348,2
-
5 day s ~ rior to the storm (Laranjeiras Sta­
tion ), and 112,6 mm during the 10 preceding on its uncommon character, etc.
days (A.8.Vista Station)(VEIGA PIRES et aI, A. SANTO AmARO STREET - Hil1-Slope of resi­
op.cit.) . dual and col1uvial soil,with 35º - 45º of
Those exce~tional rain-falls destroyed inclination, which slided (Rapid Flow)along
the transitory and/or the already unstable a narrow strip, affecting an earth volume of
equilibrium Df many masses Df earth and rock more than 10.000 m3 .
elements, and caused several catastrophic many people died, houses were destroyed,
landslides. mainly the hall part of a big residential
6.2. SUmmARY DF THE mAIN ACCIDENTS 810ck. main causes: fill executed during the
construction Df a street on the upper part
The main accidents resulting from landsli Df the Hill-Slope; deposition of rubbish on
des in 1966-1967 are now summarized. The im~ the top of the Hill-S1ope; Saturation during
oortan c e Df the several cases is based on its the rains of Jannuary 11-12-13 of 1966.
magnitude,on the number of affected humans 8. 8A8ILONIA QUARRY - An avalanche of the re
beings and the value Df material damages, or sidual mantle (m o re than 30.000 m3 of soil ­

514
 LANDSLlDES IN TROPICAL REGION
n d rock elements) from the crost of the
uarry. The material fell from a height of
5 meters and ra n , then, horizontally as a
l uid. Some new buildings 100 meters distan
from the Quarry were affected.
• GRAJAÚ HILL-SLOPE - Creep of enormous Col
uvial Slope (20º Df average inclination),a­
o ng en area of 400m x 400m, and affecting­
~ volume of around 1,5 millions of cubic
- e ters. The movement has been known forillng
time (more than 20 years), but was accelera
:ed in January 1966, when many houses and ­
~ uildings were damaged or collapsed. The lo
êal geology is complexj the talus is ve.y ­
th ickj there is a large inflltration of wa­
~ er during the rainsj excavations for cons­
:ructions were performed at the foot of the
s lope.
. PAULO DE FRONTIN AVE . - Creep of Colluvi
a I Hill-Slope (15º to 172 of average lncllna
:ion), along an area of 400m x 100m, enclo­
~ing a mass of 600.000 m3 of earth and super
:icial or buried stones and bouldersj the ­
o vement must be old but was undetected un­
: il February-March of 1967, when got accele
r ation and caused damages to 12 houses and­
u ildings situated near the foot.The move­
-e nt is typical of the Colluvial Hill-Slo­
Jes of Rio (see item S.2.).
~IG.6 - Accident of Laranjeiras Garden (Ava
lanche) ­ NUNES and VELLOSO, 1963). Such system has
~. LARANJEIRAS GARDEN - (Fig.6). Hill-Slope
120m high, with 30º of inclination at upper
~ost and 17º at downwards. The material (re
sidual soil and rock elements) slided from­
the steep top (along 80 meters) and became
an Avalanche of 30.000 m3 which ran 100 me­
:ers, dragging and destroying completely in
its way, one big house, two appartment buil
jings and part of two streets. 120 people ­
d ied in the night of February 19 of 1967.
The State Comission which investigated the
8ccident, attributed it to: a. geologiçal
structure very disturbed in place (the most
oart of the sliding mass belonged to residu
a I terrain of a granite dyke intruded in ­
:he leptinite gneiss of the Hill-Slope)j b.
=ut and excavation on middle-slope for cons
t fuction (1940) of a streetj c. discharge õf
rubbish, along the time, on the slope; d.in
filtration of water, along the time, produ­
cing and accelerating the local weathering
and originating condit~ons for piping and
high pore-pressure d ~ ring the heavy rains.
­
7. PREVENTION ANO CORRECTION DF LANOSLIOES
7.1. LEGISLATION ON HILL-SLOPE CONSTRUCTION
There are two ma in laws dealing with the
ticcupation and construction on Hill-Slopes:
a. The FOREST LAW - that forbids the cons­
truction over determinated leveI (the limit
leveI varies from + SOm to + 190m, depend­
ing of the local), intending, exclusively,
to preserve the forests and springs (the mo
re recent law exists since 19S9); ­
b. The LAW FOR LICENCE DF CONSTRUCTION IN U
NEVEN TERRAINS - that doesntt limit the le~
vel, but regulates the construction on fair
steep Hill-Slopes, or when there is a geolo
gical disturbance orany potencial danger; ­
the Law demands for the proof and guarantee
of the buildings and Hill-Slopets stability,
after convenient and specialized calculati­
ons and design, and under the control of
the GeotechnLcal Institute of Guanabara(the
first Law on this subject is from 1965;the
more recent is from 24/8/1967.
The Forest-Law has been frustrated fre­
quently by the construction Df slums ("fave
las"). The "favelas" are many and spread on
the Hill-Slopes from the leveI O,Om till +
250,Om. They carry the devastation of the
vegetal cover, many e xcavations, etc. ,chan~
ging very much the superficial and deep
drainage conditions of the Hill-Slopes.
The other Law, has been accomplished sin
ce the big accidents of 1966-1967, after
which the State Government criated the Geo­
technical Institute, deeply concerned with
the geological and geotechnical problems of
Hill-Slopes.
7.2. CORRECTION ANO STABILIZATION WORKS
Almost alI tradicional methods - even so
me new or improvised according the necessi~
ty - have been used to correct and stabili­
ze the Hill-Slopes under movement or ready
to move.
In the case of unstable boulders, the an
chorage system is being normally used, and­
is progressively accepted in Brazil (COSTA
had wide aplication, also, for the shoring
of large excavations on Hill-Slopes.
To combat the effects of superficial e­
rosion, : reve tments of alI types are empl0.l
ed: bitumen, soil-cement, several grasses,
light walls of con~r~te, etc. The use Df
grasses and other kind of plants for restore
the protector vegetal co ver is being inten­ "
sified, mainly after the research work of
the agrologists from the Geotechnical Insti
tute. -
Berms and platforms combined with surfa­
ce shaping and foot-wall have been quite us
ed when tendency of sliding is detected. -
If Flows an Slides are promoted by t h e
soil water (infiltration water leveI rising'
etc.), a good and efficacious solution is
being the use of horizontal drainage (pipes
or galleries)
515
 EMMANUEL
7.3. OBSERVATION ANO CONTROL DF mOVEmENTS
For the last two years, in view of the
Slow Flow ~Iovements of the Colluvial Hill­
Slopes, modern methods of observation and
control are being used. For exemple, com­
bined systems of: a) piezometers and obser­
vation wellsj b) measurement of horizontal
drains dischargej c) measurement of movemen
ts of superficial and deep marksj d)"slope=
indicator"j e) hydro-meteorological statio­
ns, etc.
Besides this kind of work - still relati
vely incipient in Guanabara - there is the­
tendency for promote and intensify special
studies and research over Weathering in Tro
pics, the origin and specific characteristT
cs of residual and colluvium - residual so=
ils, etc.
8. CONCLUSIONS
The experience undergone by the City of
Rio de Janeiro - one of the world largest
metropolis in the tropical zone - demonstra
tes the importance of the urbanists and Ci=
ty administrations (with the consulting as­
sistance of geotechnical engineers and ap­
plied geologists) to take some specific pre
cautionary measures in the way to avoid (in
similar regions) catastrophic accidents, to
day and in the future. -
It is evident and conclusive the necessi
ty anp importance of: a. Special legislati=
on to control and regulate the civil cons­
truction near and over the Hill-Slopesj b.
Systematic study and research of hydrologi­
cal, geological and geotechnical conditions
- and their correlations - in tropical re­
gions, intending to obtain a progressive
knowledge about the Tropical Weathering pro
cess and its influence upon the propiciati=
on of Landslides in those regionsj C. Obser
vation and Control methods of movements,for
obtaining experience and knowledge upon the
mechanism of Landslides, and for the deveI o
pment of systems for the antecipation and ­
prevention of the large accidents.
REFERENCES
C.N.Pq.(Conselho Nacional de Pesquisas)(~ffi)
_ "Os movimentbs de Encostas na Guanaba
ra, etc", Com. de Especial(stas, 1966. ­
COSTA NUNES, A.J. and VELLOSO, 0.(1963)-"Es
tabilizaçio de Taludes Residuais"-Proc.3rd­
Panamerican Conference S.mechanics,Vol.II,
paper IIIb/5, Brazil, 1963.
FROES ABREU, S. (1957) - "O O. Federal e
seus recursos naturais - I.B.G.G., Rio,
1957.
516
BARATA
HELmBOLO, R. (1965) - "mapa geológico da GLB
nabara", O.N.p.m., 1965. ­
JONES, F.O. (1967) - "Report to C.N.Pq.", ­
1967.
mEOINA, J.(1964) - "Os fat6res clim~ticos no
Projeto dos Pavimentos, OER-GB, 1964.
NOVAES PINTO, m. (1965) - "A Cidade do Rio
de Janeiro. Evoluçio FíSica e Humana". In
Revista Brasileira de Geografia",Rio,Apr.-J~
ne 1965.
RUELLAN, F. (1944) - "A Evoluçio geomorfoló­
gica da Baia da Guanabara e Regiões Circunvi
zinhas". In "Rev.Bras. Geogr.",Rio 1944. ­
SEGAOAS SOARES, m.T. (1965) - "Fisionomia e
Estrutura do Rio de Janeiro". In "Rev.Bras.
Geogr.", Rio, July-Sept. 1965.
SERRA, A.B . ANO RATISBONNA, L. (1941) - "Cli­
ma do Rio de Janeiro", mino Agricultura, ser
v. meteoro1., 1941. ­
SILVEIRA, I. da (1952 - "Contribuiçio ao Es­
tudo dos Terrenos do O.Fede~al"-Anais ABmS,
Vo1.II, 1952.
SOUTO mAIOR, A. (1954)-"Tipos clim~ticos do
O.Federal". In "Rev.Bras. Geogr~,Rio, April­
June, 1954.
SURSAN (1966) - "Os aguaceiros e as Encostas
da Guanabara",Grupo de T~cnicos da SURSAN,
Rio, 1966.
TEIXEIRA GUERRA, A. (1965)-"Paisagens Físicas
da Guanabara. "In Rev.Bras.Geogr.",Rio, Oct­
Oec. 1965.
VARGAS, m. (1953) - "Some Engineering Pro­
perties of Residual Clay Soils Occurring in
Southern Brazil"- Proc.3rd ICOSOmEF, Vol.I,
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VEIGA PIRES, L.C. et aI (1966-1967)-"Anali­
se Hidrometeorologica dos Temporais do Ve­
rio 1966-1967", SURSAN (OES), Rio, 196'i-1967.