Landslides on the left side of the Fornalutx torrent (Majorca, Spain)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21701/bolgeomin.119.4.001Keywords:
geomechanical characterization, landslides, Majorca, risk, slope, SpainAbstract
The slope on the left hand side of the Fornalutx Torrent, close to the Valley of Soller on the island of Majorca, has been affected by a series of movements in 1924, 1954, 1974 and 2002, all of which were triggered by episodes of intense and continuous rainfall. In 2002, the possibility of the torrent being blocked by the material from the slide, alerted the island authorities to the need for a detailed study of the area. The work included a geophysical study of the slope, using seismic and electrical tomography techniques; the drilling of 4 boreholes as well as numerous in situ and laboratory tests, which aimed to determine the hydraulic and stress properties of the materials of the slope. The analysis of the data obtained clearly shows the existence of a planar main landslide and the breaking surface of which coincides with the contact between two types of materials of different nature and stress properties. The landslide, although very shallow, involves a volume of material of 300,000 m3 and means that the area is one of those at greatest risk on the island, due to the proximity of the village of Fornalutx.
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