Causes Of Landslides
Landslides have various causes but all
are results of the failure of the soil and rock that is driven down by gravity
Natural Causes Of Landslides
- Earthquakes: Seismic activities have always been a main cause of landslides throughout history. Any time tectonic plates move the earth that is covering them moves along to. When earthquakes occur on areas with slopes, the soil slips causing landslides to occur.
- Heavy Rainfall: When sloped areas become completely filled by heavy rainfall, landslides can occur because the soil just runs off when it contains too much water.
-Volcanic Eruptions: Many volcanoes are very steep and the eruption of volcanoes makes the soil very vulnerable.
Other Causes Include:
Human causes
- Clear Cutting: Timber harvesting which completely removes all of the existing mechanical root structure in the area which makes the soil very loose and will disrupt the vegetation.
- Mining: Mining operations that involve blasting techniques often cause the area to vibrate under the soil which creates a risk of sliding.
Other Causes Include:
Natural Causes Of Landslides
- Earthquakes: Seismic activities have always been a main cause of landslides throughout history. Any time tectonic plates move the earth that is covering them moves along to. When earthquakes occur on areas with slopes, the soil slips causing landslides to occur.
- Heavy Rainfall: When sloped areas become completely filled by heavy rainfall, landslides can occur because the soil just runs off when it contains too much water.
-Volcanic Eruptions: Many volcanoes are very steep and the eruption of volcanoes makes the soil very vulnerable.
Other Causes Include:
- Intense rainfall
- Rapid snow melting
- Prolonged precipitation
- Rapid draw down
- Thawing
- Freeze-thaw
- Ground water changes
- Soil pore water pressure
- Surface runoff
- Seismic activity
- Soil erosion
Human causes
- Clear Cutting: Timber harvesting which completely removes all of the existing mechanical root structure in the area which makes the soil very loose and will disrupt the vegetation.
- Mining: Mining operations that involve blasting techniques often cause the area to vibrate under the soil which creates a risk of sliding.
Other Causes Include:
- Excavation
- Loading
- Draw-down
- Land use (e.g construction of roads, houses etc.)
- Water management
- Quarrying
- Vibration
- Water leakage
- Land use pattern
- Pollution