This page is not intended to be a substitute for professional geotechnical advice and should not be relied on as geotechnical advice by individuals or other professionals to make site-specific decisions. Always seek advice from professional geotechnical engineers.
A famous soil engineer once said, “The major causes of landslides in order of importance are water, water, and more water.”
Landslide occurs due to subsurface water and water flow in the soil and moisture content.
When lateral support is removed by stream erosion and cuts to the canals, quarries, and reservoirs, a landslide takes place.
Natural calamities like earthquakes
Underlying support removal like coal and other raw materials will be the reason for landslides.
Lateral pressure is also the cause of landslides and water in crack freezing, swelling of soils, etc.
Intergranular forces are also the reason for landslides like excess water pressure, buoyance, and capillary tension seepage forces.
In general, landslides are minimised by undertaking comprehensive landslide risk assessment. BHM are able to carry our landslide risk assessment to in accordance with Australian Geomechanics Society AGS guidelines on Landslide Risk assessments.
Surface and subsurface water are to be controlled by the activating forces, and increasing the resisting forces or minimising cases by avoiding the possible damaging locations and finding an alternative route.
It can be done by identifying the potential issues before or during the design process. At that time, alternative areas can be accomplished. Moreover, flattening slopes, lowering grades, finishing the excavation, or in some cases; blasting is the best way to prefer. Future construction might affect the stability of existing slopes. Geotechnical engineers can recognize potential landslide problems and will be able to make plans to avoid them.
