Investigation of groundwater characteristics and its influence on Landslides in Heifangtai Plateau using comprehensive geophysical methods

Abstract

The occurrence of landslides in Heifangtai plateau is primarily caused by the rise in water levels due to irrigation. To accurately understand the distribution of groundwater and its impact on the landslide hazard, a combination of Electrical Resistivity Tomography (ERT), Induced Polarization (IP) and Surface Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (SNMR) methods were used in this study. By conducting a comprehensive analysis, the characteristics of water-bearing structure in vertical and groundwater distribution in horizontal were detected; and the influence of the groundwater on plateau and landslides was also identified. The results indicate that the groundwater occurs in the loess aquifer with a three-layer structure in vertical. Horizontally, the aquifer has a unified water table over the plateau, with a low water level in the north and high one in the south. The high resistivity bedrock uplift belt in the middle of the plateau forms a watershed, with the north side of the uplift belt being a relatively stable slope area with stable water content and fewer geological disasters. In contrast, the south side of the uplift belt is a disaster-prone region with vertical fissures well developed in the loess aquifers. The southern landslides are characterized by the interphase distribution of high and low electrical resistivity. The infiltration and discharge of groundwater result in the formation of a collapse belt in the low resistivity water-bearing structure of landslide, which causes the entire block with high resistivity and stable bedrock to slide. There was a newly formed landslide in a larger range at the landslide’s trailing edge. This study provides a scientific basis for the study of landslides mechanisms and disaster prevention by identifying the distribution characteristics of groundwater and analyzing its influence from a geophysical perspective in Heifangtai.

Keywords

• ert
• ip
• snmr
• distribution characteristics
• uplift belt
• sliding surface