This blog contains information about Types, Causes, Impacts and Control Measures for Landslides. This also contain Natural and Anthropogenic Causes of Landslide. It also discusses Global Landslide Statistics, Landslide Risk Mitigation and Management Strategies and Case Studies of Landslides Mitigation success.
What is a Landslide?
A Landslide is a mass movement of material such as rock, earth or debris down a slope. This can also be called as landslip, or rockslides that includes a wide range of ground movement.
It is a down-drop movement of land from a slope. The major driver of Landslide is Gravitational force of the Earth. You will never see the land sliding upwards, it always slides downwards towards the force of Gravity. These are one of the serious Geological hazards that occurs on the Earth and are dangerous for Biodiversity and Humans on Earth. It only occurs in slopy regions, such as Mountains, Hills etc. There are multiple Natural and Anthropogenic Causes or Drivers of Landslides. The hilly and mountainous areas should be have planned infrastructure by keeping the risk of Landslides in view.
The landslides can be of two types, some occur naturally and some are Human-induced Landslides. A landslide cause a lot of damage to the Humans, Biodiversity and Infrastructure in hilly areas. They are always unpredictable and abrupt in nature. So, there is not time to take precautions for Landslides. There are many Landslide-prone areas in Himalayas, connecting different countries of the world. We will have a detailed description on Types, Causes, Impacts and Control Measures for Landslides.
Is Landslide an Environmental issue?
Yes, Landslides are significant Environmental Problems. The main reason behind it is that its origin is the Environment. The hilly slopes and mountainous slopes are a part of Environment. And if anything has a potential to harm Humans and Biodiversity from the Environmental components, then it can be considered as a serious Environmental Problem. Landslide may destroy infrastructure, property, Human life and even Damage Biodiversity at great extents. The damage of a landslide depends upon its extent and the degree of its occurrence. It may be causing minor damages to the Environment, but in extreme cases it may destroy buildings, roads, and cause life loss within some minutes. So, by looking at all the characteristics and Impacts of a Landslide, it can be called as an Environmental Problem.
Global Landslide Statistics:
Landslides are one of the most destructive Environmental issue that has been hurting the lives and property at a great extent. It is most dangerous because of its abrupt happening and sudden occurrence in the environment. Global Statistics of landslides looks like the following sequences:
- 1998 – 2017; Between these years, landslides effected 4.8 million people causing the death of more than 18,000 people in Earth.
- 1903 – 2020; The Global Fatal Landslide Database recorded about 37,946 landslides and 185,753 fatalities in the world.
Landslides are most widespread Environmental issue than any other Natural Disaster in the world. This spread almost in all parts of the world and occurs in different forms. These can cause minor destruction or can be a major destruction for populations around the world. This blog contains Types, Causes and Impacts of Landslides.
What are the Main Types of Landslide?
Landslides can be of different types and severity of damage. Landslides are divided into Seven main types. Following are some Main Types of Landslides:
I. Rock Fall or Fall:
This is a common type of Landslide. Rock fall refers to the fall of big rock pieces from steep slopes or a cliff that bounce and so roll downwards down the slope. This landslide can be dangerous for the infrastructure and people present in that area. This mostly reach down with very strong force.
II. Debris Flows:
This type of landslide is also referred as Mud Flow. Debris Flow is the rapid flow of loose mud, soil or organic matter that is mixed with water. They creates channels of water and mud down the slope and the heavy rainfall and melting snowfall triggers them. This is with high speed flow and cause damage.
III. Slumps:
This is also a common type of Landslide. Slumps are the type of landslide that occurs with rotational floe of rock or soil that goes down through a curved surface. This is a distinct type of landslide. Its flow is not predictable and also can be dangerous for the Environmental Components of respective area.
IV. Rock Slides:
These landslides are almost similar to the Rock Falls. But in case of Rock Slides, the rock mass moves along the well-defined surface i.e. a bedding plain or surface. It is the landslide of larger rock materials than rock falls and it is more dangerous as compared to Rock falls.
V. Earth Flows:
This type of landslide is liquid-like in texture. Earth Flow is a mixture of fine-grained rock or soil and water that flows down the slope. This flows in the form of viscous liquid. The Earth flows can be rapid, slow moving and they are mostly on gentle to moderate slope.
VI. Creeps:
This type of landslide occurs in freezing conditions. Creeps are the slow moving particles where soil or rock down the slope due to free-thaw cycles, wetting and drying, or other such processes. This is imperceptible except over long periods. These are rare type of landslides.
VII. Avalanches:
These landslides are also related to snowy regions. Avalanches are the landslides in the form of rapid movement of snow and ice down the slope. These masses of snow are primarily snow but they also incorporate with soil and rock particles. These may also contain debris especially in lower portions.
These are some of the Main Types of Landslides. Each of it has different characteristics and different extents of damage to life and Environment. This blog contains Types, Causes, Impacts and Control Measures for Landslides.
What are the Natural Causes of Landslides?
Natural Landslides are direct impacts of Environmental Conditions and consequences. Landslides can be caused by Natural and Anthropogenic Causes of Landslides. Following are some of the Natural Causes of Landslides:
Earthquakes:
Earthquakes refer to as shaking of the ground due to movement and collisions of Tectonic Plates. This cause a lot of infrastructure, Biodiversity and Life loss on Earth every year. Earthquake is the Significant cause of Landslides, because it shakes the ground and cause the land to slide from the slopes very easily and it also trigger the weathering and deformation of rocks and soil.
Weathering:
Weathering is the natural process of breaking down and dissolution of the rocks because of weather conditions. It can be influenced by water, temperature, pressure and Plants and Animals that are present in the Environment. Weathering makes the rocks weaker from the core and the risk of landslides increases with even a minor difference in the Environmental and Weather Conditions.
Volcanic Eruption:
Volcanic Eruption is the Natural Process by which lava comes on the Earth’s surface from the depth of the Earth. This is in the form of explosion which shakes the ground, effects the nearby rocks and the lava makes them degraded and so they are more likely to break and flow on the surface of the Earth through the slope. This is a main Natural Cause of Landslides on Earth.
Erosion:
Erosion is the phenomena in which the upper layer of the soil and also land wipes away naturally with the help of water or air. This makes the soil much weaker and makes it detach from the Earth’s surface. The Erosion triggers the Nutrient loss, loss of upper layer and also make the holding power of the soil weaker. The extreme Erosion cause the rocks to fall down to the slopes to cause Landslides.
Heavy Rainfall:
Heavy rainfall is the climatic condition in which a high speed precipitation in the form of rain falls on the Earth’s surface. This rainfall exerts a great pressure on the soil and rocks present in hilly and mountainous because that is already a slopy region. The heavy rainfall cause the rock and soil to detach from the surface and they are pulled by gravitational force. This is the major natural cause of landslide.
Overaccumulation of Debris:
Overaccumulation of Debris means overloading of Earth materials on a cliff or on a slope in hilly areas. This may be due to Volcanic Ash, Landslide deposits etc. can add weight to the slope and trigger Landslides. This may be due to increased pressure on the upper portion of the cliff combined with Gravitational force. The condition of overaccumulation of debris in a small area.
These are few Natural Causes of Landslides. Most of landslides occurs due to Natural Causes of Landslides. This blog contains Types, Causes, Impacts and Control Measures for Landslides.
What are the Human-induced Causes of Landslides?
Human-induced Landslides are those, which occurs by the Human Activities. Many of the Landslides are triggered by Anthropogenic activities and also Human-induced Causes of Landslides. These involves Human activities causing Landslides. Following are the Anthropogenic Causes of Landslides:
Deforestation:
Most of the rare and valuable forms of wood and trees are present in the mountainous areas. So, there is a high rate of Deforestation in those areas. Human Population is clearing all the valuable species of trees from the mountainous slopes. This clearing of forests cause the landslides to cause more damage to the Environment and Humans, by clearing the way of rocks on the slopes. Trees can stop landslides from falling with great pressure.
Agricultural Practices:
The hilly areas and mountains are extremely suitable for agricultural practices. But there are proper ways to practice farming or agriculture on the slopes of the hills. If the farming is without any terracing and in non-sustainable ways of farming, it cause the landslide to occur. As farming makes the soil fragile and it can move the rocks and soil very easily down the slope. While with terracing, it can control landslides by providing flat areas in their way.
Land-Use Changes:
The land-use change means the variation in previous land-use. Humans mostly converts forested areas into agricultural lands or farmlands. This makes the soil fragile and weaker from the core. These changes increase risks of landslides of the nearby areas and soil. In such places there are no trees to stop or reduce the Impacts of Landslides and also the landslides occurs with full potential. This is one of the significant causes of Landslides.
Mining:
Mining is the process of harvesting minerals and valuables from the Earth’s surface. This includes explosions, drilling, removing upper layer of the slopes, etc. All of these activities cause the soil structure to weak and also rocks to detach from the surface of the Earth. This triggers the impacts of Soil Erosion and increase the risks of Landslides at a great extent. It also cause the landslides in the nearby areas of the Mining practices.
These are the Anthropogenic Causes of Landslides. All of them also play significant roles in occurrence of Landslides. This blog is all about Types, Causes, Impacts and Control Measures for Landslides.
What are the Environmental Impacts of Landslides ?
Landslides cast many dangerous impacts on Environment. Some of those impacts are listed as follows:
- These can be very severe for the Biodiversity loss, as they can destroy Plants and Animals that comes in their way. This cause loss of life in extreme cases.
- Landslides are significant cause of damage of Natural Resources on the slopes and down the slope. They can damage minerals, rocks and also other important Natural Resources.
- Landslides cause habitat loss for the Biodiversity by destroying vegetation, mountain slopes and Trees in their ways.
- This is a significant cause of Soil Erosion of the nearby land area and rocks because of weakening of soil structure and rocks. It can also result in Desertification.
- Landslides may lead to imbalance of nutrients in the effected region, this may trigger the nutrient loss and harm the natural Soil environment.
These are some of the Major Impacts of Landslides on Humans, Biodiversity and Environment. These can have minor impacts or major life threatening impacts. This blog contains information about Types, Causes, Impacts and Control measures of Landslides.
What are the Economic Impacts of Landslides?
Following are some of the Economic Impacts of Landslides:
- Landslides can be a great cause of Infrastructure loss i.e. destruction of roads, property, buildings and houses.
- The medical costs of injured and dead people is a great economic concern in the case of landslides.
- A huge amount is needed to repair the effected area and return the loss of people after landslides.
- These landslides are great cause of Economic Loss because it damage the land, property and infrastructure of the respective area.
- Sometimes farmers and local populations face great loss of Agricultural Resources and Food resources, so its economic cost is also very high to recover.
- Construction of proper walls and strong protective barriers to avoid the damage from landslides, is also an expensive work to be done.
These are some of the Economic Impacts of Landslides. We can mitigate these impacts by implementing sustainable strategies to avoid excessive damage from landslides.
What are the Landslides Risk Mitigation and Management Strategies?
Landslides can be controlled by some of the Control Measures for the Landslides. Following are the Control Measures for Landslides:
Monitoring and Alarming:
The best way to prevent the Extreme impacts of Landslides is monitoring of the land structures and soil conditions. This will give us time to prepare for the disaster and help in reducing the Impacts of the Landslide. In this way we can do proper preparedness for the disaster.
Vegetation Preservation:
Preservation means to protect the Natural Resources away from the interference of Human Activities. The preservation of vegetation will help us to fight with landslides and so help to reduce the extreme impacts and life loss by landslides.
Slope Stabilization:
Slopes are the main reason for Landslides. When these slopes are uneven or damaged because of Anthropogenic and Natural Causes or Environmental Consequences. Slope Stabilization methods will control and prevent Landslides and also mitigate Environmental damage.
Build Walls:
Building walls will hold the slope and exert pressure on the slop to stop or reduce the impacts of Landslides. The walls will help to hold the land and rocks on the slopes and prevent them to fall in the form of Landslides. These walls prevent soil erosion so the land cannot move easily.
Identification of Vulnerable Areas:
The identification of vulnerable areas will help to build protection against landslides in order to reduce the damage. This will stop people to build unimportant buildings and hotels down the vulnerable areas because of danger of Landslides. The vulnerable areas will have precautions before the disaster.
Global Initiatives and Policies:
Global Initiatives and Policies should take landslides under consideration because they can be abrupt and cause great Economic and Environmental Damage. National Landslide Risk Management Strategy and Role of NDMA (Natural Disaster Management Authority), are significant authorities working on Landslide management actively.
Community Awareness:
Awareness about dealing natural disasters such as Landslides, Earthquakes and Floods is compulsory for the proper mitigation. The community of Landslide-prone areas help in the quick mitigation in order to avoid long-term Environmental damage and Economic Loss. The local communities should be trained to deal with the Emergency Situations in the condition of Landslides.
All of these Control Measures will help us to prevent or reduce landslides. This will reduce the life loss and damage to Biodiversity at a great extent. This blog contains Types, Causes, Impacts and Control Measures of Landslides.
What are Case Studies of Landslide Risk Mitigation and Management Success?
Following are some of the case studies showing the success of Landslide Risk Management:
Kullu Valley, India:
This region was the home of vulnerable landslides due to anthropogenic and natural factors. The mitigation strategies such as Afforestation, Slope Stabilization and Community-based Disaster risk management, significantly reduce the landslides and their extents.
Ratnapura, Sri Lanka:
Ratnapura in Sri Lanka, is a Landslide effected area. There people demonstrated housing construction suitable for Landslides and flood-prone area. These mitigation measures has significantly reduced the vulnerability of the community for Landslides and Floods.
Peru:
In 2012, a project was implemented in Peru that contained mitigation measures to reduce the damage of Floods and Landslide. This project includes construction of retaining walls, improving drainage systems, and also reforesting the affected areas for mitigation.
These case studies shows the success of Mitigation and Management of Landslides. This blog contains Types, Causes, Impacts, Mitigation and Case Studies of Landslides.
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