Landslide Science for a Safer Geoenvironment

When soil, rock, and other earth debris can no longer hold it together and gives way to gravity, landslides happen. A landslide is the movement of rock, debris or earth down a slope. They result from the failure of the materials which make up the hill slope and are driven by the force of gravity. Landslides are known also as landslips, slumps or slope failure. The downward force of a landslide can move slowly or quickly with disasterous effects. Landslides can be triggered by natural causes or by human activity. They range from a single boulder in a rock fall or topple to tens of millions of cubic metres of material in a debris flow. They can also vary in their extent, with some occurring very locally and impacting a very small area or hill slope while others affect much larger regional areas. The distance travelled by landslide material can also differ significantly with slides travelling from a few centimetres to many kilometres depending on the volume of material, water content and gradient of the slope. Landslides can even occur underwater, causing tidal waves and damage to coastal areas. These landslides are called submarine landslides.

Landslide Science for a Safer Geoenvironment presents comprehensive overview of progress in landslide science, landslide dynamics, landslide monitoring, and landslide risk assessment. Such alternative strategies include the use of building codes, land use planning controls, preventing water leakage, early warning systems and insurance schemes. This book addresses these developments and provides a multidisciplinary approach.