Using monitoring and simulation to analyze the failure characteristics of multizone landslides controlled by faults: a case study

Abstract

Abstract Slopes influenced by multiple faults are prone to large-scale landslides triggered by multi-regional failures. Understanding the failure process and sequence is essential for the sustainable development of mining operations. This paper presents a method combining InSAR monitoring and numerical simulation to analyze the failure processes of slopes affected by multiple faults. Using the 298–710 m bench in the central area of the eastern slope of the Nanfen open-pit mine as a case study, the multidimensional small baseline subset (MSBAS) technique of InSAR was employed to calculate the vertical and horizontal deformation time series in the study area, enabling an analysis of the deformation characteristics of multizone bedding sliding. Subsequently, a numerical simulation was performed to replicate the three-dimensional evolution of the multizone failure. The simulation results aligned well with field surveys and InSAR monitoring data. Furthermore, the failure sequence analysis identified critical trigger zones within the region. The findings demonstrate that the proposed method effectively identifies the critical areas and movement sequence of multi-regional failures. In this paper, the faults disrupted the connectivity between slopes, acting as the initial trigger for entire landslide. The first failure occurred in a critical area, creating space for further sliding in other regions and reducing lateral constraints in neighboring areas, eventually leading to significant deformations. Therefore, by using this method to identify potential critical areas before landslides occur, targeted mitigation measures can be implemented to reduce the risk of such events.

Keywords

• Slope stability
• Multi-zone failure
• InSAR
• Failure sequence
• Landslide