Geotechnical characterisation and back analysis of a landslide in marl deposit: A case study of Algiers Sahel (coast), Algeria

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to present the results of geotechnical investigations and landslide analysis in a marl deposit at the Sahel (coast) of Algiers in northern Algeria, where many landslides take place in the Plaisancian marls, particularly following rainfall periods each year, causing severe damage to infrastructures and buildings. The physico-mechanical characteristics of the soils obtained from three different sites (El-Achour, Daly-Brahim and Ouled-Fayet) were analysed to identify the mechanism of these landslides. In the study, the laboratory test results providing grain-size distribution, Atterberg limits, water content, shear strength, and compressibility were analysed. The findings showed that, although the soils were characterised by slightly higher plasticity at Ouled-Fayet, they were generally homogeneous in the studied sites. The upper soils, generally weathered, exhibited low shear strength parameters, which are lower than the undisturbed formation beneath. The stability analysis based on limit equilibrium methods (LEM) showed the significant influence of pore water pressures on slope stability, suggesting that the weathered soils are prone to instability processes due to the effect of long rainy periods.