Introduction to the Physics of Landslides Lecture notes on the dynam
Landslides represent one of the most destructive natural catastrophes. They can reach extremely long distance and velocity, and are capable of wiping out human communities and settlements. Yet landslides have a creative facet as they contribute to the mod
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Fabio Vittorio De Blasio
Introduction to the Physics of Landslides Lecture Notes on the Dynamics of Mass Wasting
Fabio Vittorio De Blasio NHAZCA s.r.l., spin-off “Sapienza” University Rome
ISBN 978-94-007-1121-1 e-ISBN 978-94-007-1122-8 DOI 10.1007/978-94-007-1122-8 Springer Dordrecht Heidelberg London New York Library of Congress Control Number: 2011926632 # Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2011 No part of this work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, microfilming, recording or otherwise, without written permission from the Publisher, with the exception of any material supplied specifically for the purpose of being entered and executed on a computer system, for exclusive use by the purchaser of the work. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com)
Preface
A book like this should certainly start emphasizing the death toll and destruction potential of landslides and the consequent need for a better understanding of these geohazards. Nevertheless, the interesting and inspiring aspect of natural catastrophes should also be stressed. Much physics, mathematics, engineering, technology, and even chemistry and biology form the foundation of the study of natural hazards. It is a subject that will become more physically oriented in the near future, and from which the motivated researcher will enjoy material for study, research, and discovery. There are numerous books, reports, and Internet documents about landslides, and no scientist knows even a small fraction of them. This book is not an attempt to review the field of landslides, as this would be an impossible task for one person, an effort which besides would soon go outdated. During my teaching at the University of Oslo I have realized the need for better understanding of the basic physics necessary for understanding landslides, and the geological phenomena in general. Sometimes students, investigators, and practitioners who use conceptual and numerical models in the study of landslides pay little attention to the basic physical laws, and ignore the mathematics necessary to describe it. The understanding of physical processes may become fuzzy; formulas and computer programs are arcane and their range of validity is not tested. One of the negative consequences of the rapid progress in science is the extreme specialization, which entails a deep knowledge of a narrow subject, limited understanding of a close topic, and complete ignorance of distant disciplines. Although pigeonholing scientific knowledge is useful for learning, it must be reminded that cultural compartments are fictitious. Strengthening the basis of a certain subject appears as an appropriate treatment to reduce this problem. Quantitative methods in the study of landslides are not novel. However, geotechnics and geological engineering mostly deal with problems of slope stability. Apart from Erismann and Abele’s book only dealing with rock avalanches
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