Activity and distribution of geohazards induced by the Lushan earthquake, April 20, 2013

• Published in: Natural hazards (Dordrecht) Vol. 73; no. 2; pp. 711 - 726
• Main Authors: Cui, Peng, Zhang, Jianqiang, Yang, Zongji, Chen, Xiaoqing, You, Yong, Li, Yong
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 01.09.2014; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Avalanches; Civil Engineering; Debris flow; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Earthquakes; Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics; Environmental Management; Exact sciences and technology; Geological hazards; Geology; Geophysics/Geodesy; Geotechnical Engineering & Applied Earth Sciences; Hydrogeology; Lakes; Landslides; Lithology; Natural Hazards; Natural hazards: prediction, damages, etc; Original Paper; Rocks; Sandstone; Seismic activity; Slopes; Lushan Mountain; Lushan earthquake; Hazard mitigation; Debris flow; Dammed lake; Landslide and avalanche; altitude; cliffs; extension; lithology; debris flows; hanging wall; slopes; epicenters; earthquakes; rockfalls; fault displacements; debris; highways; tectonics; flow; landforms; soft rocks; depth; avalanches; landslides; instability; colluvium
• ISSN: 0921-030X; 1573-0840
• DOI: 10.1007/s11069-014-1100-0

An Ms7.0 earthquake, focal depth 13 km, struck Lushan on April 20, 2013, caused 196 deaths and 21 missing, 13,484 injuries, and affected more than two million people. A field investigation was taken immediately after the quake, and the induced hazards were analyzed in comparison with the Wenchuan earthquake. We have identified 1,460 landslides and avalanches and four dammed lakes, which were generally small and concentrated on high elevation. Avalanches and rockfalls developed in cliffs and steep slopes of hard rocks, including Jinjixia of Baosheng Town and Dayanxia of Shuangshi Town, Lushan, and the K317 section the Xiaoguanzi section north to Lingguan Town along the provincial highway S210. Landslides were relatively less, mainly in moderate and small scales, developing in sandstone, shale, and loose colluviums. Only one single large landslide was observed to turn into debris slide-flow. Dammed lakes were formed by avalanches and landslides, all in small size and of low danger degree. The earthquake-induced hazards distributed in belt on the hanging wall along the faults, and their major controlling factors include tectonics, lithology, structure surface, and landform. More than 99 % landslides were within 30 km to the epicenter, and 678 within 10 km, accounting for 46 % of the total; about 50 % landslides were distributed on slopes between 35° and 55°, and 11 % on slope exceeding 75°; 60 % on slopes at the altitudes between 1,000 and 1,500 m, 77 % on slopes between 900 and 1,500 m; and 24 and 62 % in hard rocks and section between hard and soft rocks, respectively. Compared with the case of Wenchuan earthquake, both the number and extension of landslides and avalanches in Lushan earthquake-affected area are much smaller, only 5.53 % in number and 0.57 % in area. The earthquake has increased the instability of slope and potentiality of landslide and debris flow. Accordingly, the active period is expected to be relatively short comparing with that in Wenchuan earthquake-hit area. However, the insidious and concealed hazards bring difficulty for risk investigation.