Evaluation model of landslide hazards induced by the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake using strong motion data

Landslides induced by the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in the Longmenshan area were relatively well instrumented, which makes it possible to investigate the landslides using ground motion records. Firstly, this paper analyzes the data from Wenchuan earthquake on both regional and local site scale. The analyses show that the Newmark accumulative displacement calculated from the ground motion recorded in a particular geological hazard zone corresponds to the hazard intensity in that zone; the larger the displacement, the more serious the geologic hazard. The calculated result also shows that the displacement is related to the Arias intensity, which represents the total energy released during the earthquake at the observation site. Secondly, this paper constructs an evaluation model of Newmark displacement calculated with Arias intensities to estimate the subsequent slope failure resulting from the earthquake. The calculated results based on the model fit well with the distribution of actual landslides, suggesting that this method is useful for hazard evaluation. Therefore, this type of model can be used for estimating regional-scale distribution of earthquake-induced landslides and their associated hazards immediately after an earthquake.

Relationships between ground motion parameters and landslides induced by Wenchuan earthquake

The MS8.0 Wenchuan earthquake induced severe landslide hazards.For the first time in China,large numbers of strong motion records were obtained during the Wenchuan earthquake,providing the opportunity to study the relationships between ground-motion parameters and the earthquake-induced landslides.Nearly 40 groups of records from the main shock distributed along the Longmenshan fault lines were used to carry out this study.The results appropriate to the Longmenshan area are as follows：1 The threshold of the peak ground acceleration（PGA） is about 0.7 m/s2.When the PGA reaches 2 m/s2,the landslide hazards are very serious; 2 The threshold of the peak ground velocity（PGV） is about 0.5 m/s.When the PGV reaches 1.5 m/s,severe landslide hazards will be induced; 3 The threshold for the Arias intensity（Ia） is about 0.2 m/s.When the Ia in one horizontal direction reaches 2 m/s,landslide hazards will be very serious; 4 As for the relevance order of the parameters to earthquake-induced landslides,Ia is the leading parameter,followed by PGV,and finally PGA.The results presented in this paper are consistent with the results from other studies,indicating that the threshold of the ground motion parameters for strong earthquakes is of the same order of magnitude as that of moderate earthquakes.Landslide density of local sites fluctuated with the increase of ground motion intensity if the thresholds were reached.When the upper limits are exceeded,the landslide density remains at a certain level with relatively little variation.

Analysis of landslide damage caused by the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake using strong motion data: A case study in the Beichuan county town

The county town of Beichuan county, China, experienced catastrophic destruction due to landslides induce by the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. In consideration of the special location of the county town, this paper selected the landslides induced in the town as representative of large-scale near-rupture landslides, and quantitatively analyzed why the landslide damage was so destructive in the town by using strong motion data obtained from the Wenchuan earthquake in the Longmenshan area. Three methods were employed to estimate the landslide damage using strong motion data. （1） Peak ground accelerations （PGAs） on the hanging wall were used to evaluate the PGAs on the landslide sites in the town. The evaluated average PGAs were all greater than I g, indicating that the ground motion intensity was very strong during the earthquake. （2） Acceleration time histories, from another station with similar geological conditions to the town, were used to evaluate the critical acceleration changing range, and the estimated values showed the geological conditions were very susceptible to earthquakes. （3） Acceleration time histories, from two stations on the hanging and foot walls of the rupture, and near the town, were used to calculate the Newmark displacements, and all the evaluated displacements indicated that landslides were very likely. The results show that the slopes, susceptible to earthquakes in the Beichuan county town, were easily triggered under such strong ground-motion intensity and developed into large-scale catastrophic events.