Integrated geophysical and morphostratigraphic approach to investigate a coseismic (?) translational slide responsible for the destruction of the Montclús village (Spanish Pyrenees)

A 12 million of m 3 translational rockslide developed on a dip slope underlain by limestone with interlayered marls, and responsible for the destruction of the Montclús village in the fourteenth century, has been investigated by means of geomorphological and geophysical surveys. The combination of h...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Landslides 2014-08, Vol.11 (4), p.655-671
Main Authors: Zarroca, M., Linares, R., Roqué, C., Rosell, J., Gutiérrez, F.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Activation
Agriculture
Civil Engineering
Destruction
Earth and Environmental Science
Earth Sciences
Geography
Geomorphology
Geophysics
Groundwater flow
Landslides
Natural Hazards
Original Paper
Seismic phenomena
Seismology
Slopes
Villages
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Summary:A 12 million of m 3 translational rockslide developed on a dip slope underlain by limestone with interlayered marls, and responsible for the destruction of the Montclús village in the fourteenth century, has been investigated by means of geomorphological and geophysical surveys. The combination of historical-geoarcheological, geomorphological, seismic refraction and electrical resistivity imaging datasets allowed the (1) reconstruction of the late Quaternary episodic evolution of the landslide, (2) characterization of the geometry and internal structure of the slid mass and (3) identification of preferential groundwater flow paths that favoured slope instability. The development of the landslide involved at least two different displacement episodes controlled by sliding surfaces at successively deeper stratigraphic positions. The first landsliding event, recorded by highly weathered landslide deposits situated above a perched failure plane, occurred approximately during the global Last Glacial Maximum (23–19 ka BP). The most recent event, which destroyed the Montclús village built on already slid rocks, is placed in the fourteenth century. Most probably, this reactivation event was triggered by the 1373 Ribagorza earthquake, with an estimated moment magnitude of M w 6.2. This work illustrates the benefits of combining geomorphological data with complementary geophysical technics in landslide investigation.
ISSN:1612-510X
1612-5118
DOI:10.1007/s10346-013-0427-z