Slope stability of a scree slope based on integrated characterisation and monitoring

Abstract

Three years of geotechnical seasonal field monitoring including soil temperature, suction and volumetric water content plus geophysical measurements, lead to a preliminary ground model and assessment of slope stability for a steep scree slope in the Meretschibach catchment, near Agarn village in the Swiss Alps. Building on data reported in a previous paper, which focused on preliminary ground characterisation and seasonal field monitoring, this current research aims to understand whether a surficial failure in the scree slope, triggered by rainfall and depending on bedrock conditions, would represent a relevant natural hazard for Agarn village. A final year of field data is included as well as site-specific sensor calibration, a Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR) profile, and laboratory triaxial testing to provide strength parameters. A bedrock map is presented, based on GPR, with a realistic ground model of the entire scree slope. Furthermore, a preliminary numerical analysis, performed using SEEP-SLOPE/W, shows the influence of a bedrock outcrop observed in the field, for a specific soil thickness, strength parameters and rain intensity. The stability of a gravelly slope decreases with groundwater flow over a step in the bedrock, and the location of the failure will tend to move uphill of a bedrock outcrop at a shallow depth as groundwater flow increases.