GEOG 001 Lecture Notes - Lecture 28: Slope Stability, Landslide, Downhill Creep
19 Aug 2020
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Document Summary
Slope stability can be evaluated by determining the relation between driving forces that move rock or sediment down a slope and resisting forces that oppose such movement. The largest downslope force is the weight of the slop material and the water it contains. Weight can include anything placed on the slope, such as fill material and buildings. The resisting force is the shear strength of the slope material that is, its resistanceto failure by sliding or flow along potential slip planes. Potential slip planes are surfaces of weakness in the slope material, such as bedding planes in sedimentary rocks, fractures in all types of rocks, and foliation in metamorphic rocks. Slope stability is evaluated by computing a factor of safety (fs), defined as the ratioof resisting forces to the driving forces. If fs is greater than 1, the resisting forces exceed the driving forces and the slope is considered stable.
