Multi-method investigation of mass transfer mechanisms in a retrogressive clayey landslide (Harmalière, French Alps)

The mass transfer mechanisms in landslides are complex to monitor because of their suddenness and spatial coverage. The active clayey Harmalière landslide, located 30 km south of Grenoble in the French Alps, exhibits two types of behavior: in its upper part, decameter-sized clay blocks slide along a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Landslides 2021-06, Vol.18 (6), p.1981-2000
Main Authors: Fiolleau, Sylvain, Jongmans, Denis, Bièvre, Gregory, Chambon, Guillaume, Lacroix, Pascal, Helmstetter, Agnès, Wathelet, Marc, Demierre, Michel
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aerial photographs
Aerial photography
Agriculture
Civil Engineering
Earth and Environmental Science
Earth Sciences
Geography
Geophysics
Global navigation satellite system
Landslides
Landslides & mudslides
Lidar
Mass transfer
Monitoring
Natural Hazards
Navigation
Navigation satellites
Navigation systems
Navigational satellites
Original Paper
Satellite imagery
Sciences of the Universe
Seismic surveys
Spaceborne remote sensing
Surveying
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Summary:The mass transfer mechanisms in landslides are complex to monitor because of their suddenness and spatial coverage. The active clayey Harmalière landslide, located 30 km south of Grenoble in the French Alps, exhibits two types of behavior: in its upper part, decameter-sized clay blocks slide along a listric slip surface, while a flow-like mechanism is observed in a clayey remolded material a few hundred meters below the headscarp. The landslide underwent a major retrogression affecting 45 ha in March 1981 and has experienced multiple reactivations since then. The last major event took place on the 26 th of June 2016, and a large investigation survey was conducted to better understand the reactivation mechanism. A multi-method investigation was carried out at different temporal and spatial scales, including aerial photograph and light detection and ranging processing, correlation of optical satellite images, global navigation satellite system monitoring, continuous seismic monitoring, and passive seismic survey. The morphological evolution of the landslide was traced over the last 70 years, showing a headscarp retrogression of 700 m during multiple reactivations and a total mass transfer of more than 6 × 10 6 m 3 . The detailed study of the 2016 event allowed to track and understand the mechanism of a mass transfer of 1 × 10 6 m 3 in 5 weeks, from a sliding mechanism at the headscarp to an earthflow at the toe.
ISSN:1612-510X
1612-5118
DOI:10.1007/s10346-021-01639-z