Introduction to the Physics of Landslides (eBook)

Preface.-
1. Introduction and problems.-
1.1 Landslides: an overview.-
1.1.1. What is a landslide?.-
1.1.2. Landslides as a geological hazard.-
1.1.3. Landslides as a geomorphic driving force.-
1.1.4. Physical aspects of landslides.-
1.2. Types of landslides.-
1.2.1. Geometrical characteristics of a landslide.-
1.2.2. Description of the seven types of movements.-
1.3. A physical classification of Gravity Mass Flows.-
2. Friction, cohesion, and slope stability.-
2.1. Friction and Cohesion.-
2.1.1. Normal and shear stresses.-
2.1.2. Friction.-
2.1.3. Cohesion.-
2.2. Slope Stability
2.2.1. A few words on slope stability.-
2.2.2. An example: layered slope.
2.2.3. A few basics concepts of soil mechanics and an application to slumps.-
2.2.4. Other factors contributing to instability.-
3. Introduction to fluid mechanics.-
3.1. Introduction.-
3.1.1. What is a fluid?.-
3.2.Fluid static.-
3.3. Simple treatment of some topics in fluid dynamics.-
3.3.1. Fluid flow (key concept: velocity field, streamlines, streamtubes).-
3.3.2. Fluid flow in a pipe with a constriction (key concepts: continuity, incompressibility).-
3.3.3. Lift force on a half-cylinder (key concept: energy conservation and the Bernoulli equation).-
3.3.4. Flow of a plate on a viscous fluid (key concepts: no-slip condition, viscosity, Newtonian fluids).-
3.3.5. Fluid pattern around a cylinder (key concepts: Reynolds number, turbulence).-
3.4. Microscopic model of a fluid and mass conservation.-
3.4.1. The pressure in a gas is due to the impact of molecules.-
3.4.2. Viscosity.-
3.5. Conservation of mass: the continuity equation.-
3.5.1. Flux.-
3.5.2. Continuity equation in Cartesian coordinates.-
3.6. A more rigorous approach to Fluid Mechanics: momentum and Navier-Stokes equation.-
3.6.1. Lagrangian and Eulerian viewpoints.-
3.6.2. Momentum equation.-
3.6.3. Analysis of the forces.-
3.6.4. Adding up the rheological properties: the Navier-Stokes equation.-
3.7. Some applications.-
3.7.1. Dimensionless numbers in fluid dynamics.-
3.7.2. Application to open flow of infinite width channel.-
4. Non-Newtonian fluids, mudflows, and debris flows: a rheological approach.-
4.1. Momentum equations, rheology, and fluid flow.-
4.2. Dirty water: the rheology of dilute suspensions.-
4.3. Very dirty water: rheology of clay slurries and muds.-
4.3.1. Clay mixtures.-
4.3.2. Interaction between clay particles.-
4.3.2. Rheology of clay mixtures and other fluids.-
4.3.4. Bingham and Herschel Bulkley.-
4.3.5. Shear strength as a function of the solid concentration.-
4.3.6. Relationship between soil properties and fluid dynamics properties.-
4.4. Behavior of a mudflow described by Bingham rheology: one-dimensional system.-
4.5. Flow of a Bingham fluid in a channel.-
4.6. Rheological flows: general properties.-
4.6.1. Introduction.-
4.6.2. Geological Materials of rheological flows.-
4.6.3. Structure of a debris flow chute and deposit.-
4.6.4. Examples of rheological flows.-
4.7. Debris flows: dynamics.-
4.7.1. Velocity.-
4.7.2. Dynamical description of a debris flow.-
4.7.3. Impact force of a debris flow against a barrier.-
4.7.4. Quasi-periodicity.-
4.7.5. Theoretical and semiempirical formulas to predict the velocity.-
5. A short introduction to the physics of granular media.-
5.1 Introduction to granular materials.-
5.1.1. Solid mechanics: Hooke’s law, Poisson coefficients, elasticity.-
5.1.2. Granular media in the Earth Sciences. Angle of repose.-
5.1.3. Force between grains.-
5.2. Static of granular materials.-
5.2.1. Pressures inside a container filled with granular material.-
5.2.2. Force chains.-
5.3. Grain Collisions.-
5.3.1. Grain-wall collisions.-
5.3.2. Grain-grain collisions.-
5.4. Dynamics of granular materials; avalanching.-
5.4.1. General.-
5.4.2. Dynamics of granular materials at high shear rate: granular gases and granular temperature.-
5.4.3. Haff’s equation.-
5.4.4. Fluid dynamical model of a granular flow.-
5.5. Dispersive stresses and the Brazil nut effect.-
5.5.1. Dispersive pressure.-
5.5.2. Brazil nuts and inverse grading.-
6. Granular flows and rock avalanches.-
6.1. Rock avalanches: an introduction.-
6.1.1. Historical note.-
6.1.2. Examples of rock avalanches: a quick glance.-
6.1.3. The volumes of rock avalanches.-
6.2. Rock avalanche scars and deposits.-
6.2.1. Rock avalanche deposits: large-scale features.-
6.2.2. Rock avalanche deposits: intermediate-scale features.-
6.3 Dynamical properties of rock avalanches and stages of their development.-
6.3.1. Velocity of a rock avalanche.-
6.3.2. Stages in the development of a rock avalanche.-
6.4. Simple lumped mass and slab models for rock avalanches.-
6.4.1. A simple model of landslide movement.-
6.4.2. Use of energy conservation (1): runout of a Coulomb frictional sliding body.-
6.4.3. Use of energy conservation (2): calculation of the velocity with arbitrary slope path.-
6.4.4. A slab model.-
6.5. Application of the models to real case studies.-
6.5.1. Elm.-
6.5.2. The landslides of Novaya Zemlia test site.-
6.6. The fahrböschung of a rock avalanche.-
6.6.1. The importance of the centre of mass of the landslide distribution.-
6.6.2. Fahrböschung of a rock avalanche.-
6.7. How does a rock avalanche travel?.-
6.8 The problem of the anomalous mobility of large rock avalanches.-
6.8.1. Statement of the problem.-
6.8.2. A list of possible explanations.-
6.8.3. Explanations than do not require liquid or gaseous phases.-
6.8.4. Explanation of the anomalous mobility of rock avalanches invoking exotic mechanisms and new phases.-
6.9. Frictionites, frictional gouge, thermal effects, and behavior of rocks at high shear rates; fragmentation.-
6.9.1. Frictionite, melt lubrication, and the Kofels landslide.-
6.9.2. Vapor or gas at high pressure.-
7. Landslides in peculiar environments.-
7.1. Landslides falling into water reservoirs.-
7.1.1. General classification.-
7.1.2. Limit C landslide comparable to the water mass, C=1.-
7.2. Coastal landslides and landslides falling onto large water basins, C>1.-
7.2.1. General.-
7.2.3. Landslides propagating retrogressively from the sea to land.-
7.2.5. Generation and propagation of the tsunami in lakes and fjords.-
7.3. Landslides traveling on glaciers.-
7.3.1. General considerations.-
7.3.2. Dinamics of landslides traveling on glaciers.-
7.4. Landslides in the Solar System.-
7.4.1. Landslides on planets and satellites, except Mars.-
7.4.2. Landslides on Mars.-
8. Rockfalls, talus formation and hillslope evolution.-
8.1. Introduction to the problems and examples.-
8.1.1. General.-
8.1.2. Physical processes during a rock fall.-
8.2. Simple models of a simple object falling down a slope.-
8.2.1. Simple models of rolling, bouncing, gliding, and falling.-
8.3. Simple rockfall models.-
8.3.1. A simple lumped mass model.-
8.3.2. The CRSP model.-
8.3.3. Three-dimensional programs.-
8.4. The impact with the terrain.-
8.4.1. The physical process of impact against hard and soft ground.-
8.4.2. Coefficents of restitution and friction.-
8.4.3. Block disintegration and extremely energetic rockfalls.-
8.5. Talus formation and evolution.-
8.5.1. Kinds of talus and their structure.-
8.5.2. Physical processes on top of taluses.-
8.6. Topple.-
9. Subaqueous landslides.-
9.1. Introduction and examples.-
9.1.1. Some examples in brief.-
9.2. Peculiarities of subaqueous landslides.-
9.2.1. Types of subaqueous landslides.-
9.2.2. Differences between subaerial and subaqueous landslides.-
9.2.3. The H/R-volume diagram for submarine landslides.-
9.3. Triggering of subaqueous landslides (especially submarine).-
9.4. Forces on a body moving in a fluid.-
9.4.1. General considerations.-
9.4.2. Drag force.-
9.4.3. Skin friction.-
9.4.4. Added mass coefficient.-
9.5. Tsunamis.-
9.5.1. Introduction.-
9.5.2. Propagation of tsunami waves in the ocean.-
9.6. More dynamical problems.-
9.6.1. Outrunner blocks.-
9.6.2. Debris flows.-
9.6.2. Theories for the mobility of submarine landslides.-
10. Other forms of gravity mass flows with potentially hazardous effects.-
10.1. Lava streams.-
10.2. Ice avalanches.-
10.3. Catastrophic flood waves.-
10.4. Snow avalanches.-
10.5 Slow landslides and soil creep.-
10.5.1. Sackungs and lateral spreads.-
10.5.2. Soil creep and other superficial mass movements.-
10.6. Suspension flows: turbidites and turbidity currents, and relationship with submarine landslides.-
10.6.1. Turbiditic basins.-
10.1.2. Ancient turbidites.-
10.6.3. Flow of a turbidity current.-
Appendix GeoApp (Geological and Geotechnical).-
Appendix PhysApp (Physical).-
Appendix MathApp (Mathematical).-
References.-