Influence of earthquakes on the stability of slopes

Abstract

Earthquakes are a major trigger for instability of natural and man-made slopes. Often the instability of slopes due to an

earthquake causes more destruction and kills more people than the actual earthquake itself. A comparison is made between

different methodologies to analyze the potential stability of slopes during earthquakes. Theoretically, it seems simple to calculate

the stability of a slope during an earthquake. In reality, however, the stability is influenced by so many parameters that are either not

known or which influence is so poorly known that a decent estimation of stability cannot be made. Offshore the situation is worse

because proper data required for stability calculations are even less available than onshore. On- and offshore, erosion and

weathering create continuously slopes that may become unstable during a future earthquake, offshore also sedimentation creates

continuously new slopes. Another fundamental problem in stability analysis is the complicated and largely unknown behavior of

seismic waves in three-dimensions in natural materials. The lack of accurate data and the unknown behavior of seismic waves in

three-dimensions make estimations of slope stability during an earthquake unreliable.

© 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Keywords: Slope; Stability; Earthquake; Crocodile; Armenia; Roermond; Umbria–Marche