Landslides: Processes, Prediction, and Land Use by Roy C. Sidle (English) Paperb

Publisher Description

Published by the American Geophysical Union as part of the Water Resources Monograph Series, Volume 18. Landslides are a constant in shaping our landscape. Whether by large episodic, or smaller chronic, mass movements, our mountains, hills, valleys, rivers, and streams bear evidence of change from landslides. Combined with anthropogenic factors, especially the development and settlement of unstable terrain, landslides (as natural processes) have become natural disasters.

This book charts our understanding of landslide processes, prediction methods, and related land use issues. How and where do landslides initiate? What are the human and economic consequences? What hazard assessment and prediction methods are available, and how well do they work? How does land use, from timber harvesting and road building to urban and industrial development, affect landslide distribution in time and space? And what is the effect of land use and climate change on landslides?

This book responds to such questions with:

• Synopses of how various land uses and management activities influence landslide behavior

• Analyses of earth surface processes that affect landslide frequency and extent

• Examples of prediction techniques and methods of landslide hazard assessment, including scales of application

• Discussion of landslide types and related costs and damages

Those who study landslides, and those who deal with landslides, from onset to after-effects—including researchers, engineers, land managers, educators, students, and policy makers—will find this work a benchmark reference, now and for years to come.

Author Biography

Roy C. Sidle is the author of Landslides: Processes, Prediction, and Land Use, published by Wiley. Hirotaka Ochiai is the author of Landslides: Processes, Prediction, and Land Use, published by Wiley.

Table of Contents

Preface  vii 1. Introduction and Overview of Landslide Problems  1 Overall Significance of Landslides  2 Distribution of Landslide Hazards Worldwide  9 Loss of Human Life  10 Economic Consequences  13 Examples of Detailed Economic Analyses of Landslide Damages  15 Other Environmental Impacts  20 2. Characteristics of Various Types of Landslides  23 Classification Systems  23 Broad Functional Categorization of Mass Wasting Processes  24 3. Natural Factors Influencing Landslides  41 Geological Factors  41 Geomorphic Factors  55 Hydrologic Factors 67 Seismicity  110 Volcanic Activity 117 4. Landslide Analysis  121 Analysis of Stresses Within Slopes and Initiation Mechanisms of Landslides  121 Quantifying Landslide Trigger Mechanisms  124 Primary Causes of Landslides  129 Problems in Applying Theoretical Stability Analysis to Natural Hillslopes 134 Hazard Assessment and Prediction Methods  139 Overview of Techniques and Methodologies  139 Terrain Hazard Mapping  139 Simple Rainfall-Landslide and Earthquake-Landslide Relationships  145 Multi-Factor, Empirical Landslide Hazard Assessment 150 Distributed, Physically Based Models 155 Overview of Landslide Hazard Assessment and Prediction Methods 160 Land Use and Global Change 163 Timber Harvesting  163 Roads and Other Transportation Corridors  183 Conversion of Forests to Agricultural Lands and Plantations  203 Management Effects  203 Control and Avoidance Practices Amidst the Politics  206 Steepland Grazing and Grasslands 209 Management Effects 209 Avoidance and Control Practices 211 Fire  213 Management Effects  213 Avoidance and Control Practices  216 Urban, Residential, and Industrial Development  217 Background and Vulnerability  217 Direct Effects  219 Avoidance and Mitigation Measures  223 Urban planning and regulation 224 Control and mitigation measures  229 Mining  230 Tourism and Recreation  235 Global Climate Change 236 7. Summary 239 Notation 243 References  247 Index 307

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