Geophysical and geotechnical approach to a landslide stability assessment: a case study

Landslides are complex phenomena, and the main factors that have a significant impact on their behavior are changes in slope inclination geometry and changes in water conditions. The main purpose of this work was to evaluate current conditions of the landslide in Brzozowka, near Cracow (Poland), and analyzing how different saturations of soil influence the stability of the landslide. The combination of geophysical and geotechnical research, such as electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), cone penetration testing, drilling and laboratory tests as well as a comprehensive analysis of their results, provided reliable information on the geological structure and geotechnical parameters of the landslide. The results were used in numerical simulations of the landslide stability, in which a two-phase model (soil and water) was assumed that included the effective soil strength parameters and the transient flow conditions as well as a partial saturation zone. The sliding surface obtained from the numerical modeling was almost flat, which was confirmed by the ERT method. It was proved that the landslide occurred when the saturation of the upper part of the slope exceeded 0.8. Obtained results are useful for engineering practice.