Back Analysis of Parungponteng Landslide Using Rheological Approach

Abstract

Mass movement is downslope movement of soil or rock debris due to gravitational pull or vertical sinking of the ground surface. Mass movements may occur for a considerably long duration or an extremely short period, such as landslides or rockfalls, and cause devastating consequences. Mass movement is a challenging subject because it cannot be explained by Mohr–Coulomb theorem. As such, an approach for predicting movement patterns must be developed. This research modeled a mass movement in Cihonje Hamlet in Parungponteng Village, Tasikmalaya District, West Java, Indonesia. The influence of viscosity and yield stress on the behavior of the mass movement was also investigated through back analysis. Results showed that viscosity and yield stress are inversely proportional to water content and both decrease as the water content approaches the liquid limit. Thus, low viscosity induces flow coverage.