Numerical investigation on the sliding process and deposit feature of an earthquake-induced landslide: a case study

The objective of this study is to provide an effective method for risk prediction and disaster control of earthquake-induced landslides. The Hongshiyan landslide induced by Ludian earthquake (Mw6.5) on August 3, 2014, in Ludian County, Yunnan Province, China, is studied. The sliding process and the mechanism of instability are investigated through numerical simulations using the particle flow codes (PFC). The characteristics of velocity and displacement and features of deposit are studied. It is found that the maximum average velocity of all particles of 23.43 m/s occurs at 7.11 s. The maximum displacement is closely related to elevation, and the sliding time of the rear edge of the sliding body is the longest. The numerical results of the landslide dam deposit morphology, with a height of 116.1 m and a length of 1001.1 m, are in good agreement with the field investigations. A series of numerical experiments on parameter sensitivity are also performed to study the influence of amplification factor and coefficient of friction on the features of the deposit.