Mechanism analysis of a landslide triggered by filling a gully Available to Purchase

Construction activities may reduce the stability of slopes by filling at the crown of a landslide, thereby increasing the sliding force. The stability of slopes can also be reduced by excavating at the toe of a slope, thereby reducing the stabilising force. Failure induced by the filling of a natural gully and changing regional hydrogeological conditions were determined to be the possible causes of the Qili landslide in Zhejiang, China. Analysis of displacement monitoring data and the safety factor indicated that the primary cause of the landslide was an increase in the groundwater level (GWL) rather than engineering excavation. After analysing the region's hydrogeological conditions, it was found that the most likely reason for the increase in GWL was the filling of the natural gully. When the gully was full, the only way rainfall could be discharged was through infiltration. As a result of the change in the way the water was discharged, the runoff discharge was reduced, resulting in an increase in GWL. The results of numerical simulation showed that changes in the discharge conditions would cause an increase in the GWL in the landslide area. Therefore, it was determined that the Qili landslide was caused by the filling of the natural gully and that it was a new type of landslide caused by human engineering activities and construction.