Geotechnical studies for Landslide susceptibility in the high basin of the Oum Er Rbia river (Morocco)

Abstract

In the high basin of Oum Er Rbia in the Middle Atlas Mountain, the steep slopes with inherent soil lead to the formation of landslides, which could pose danger to road infrastructure and buildings. Evenly the heavy rains exceeding the saturation of soils play a key role in landslides. In this context, this study attempted to assess unconsolidated soil characteristics and their impacts on landslide susceptibility. The texture, clay mineralogy, and Atterberg limits were determined for soil samples. Atterberg limits were conducted to estimate the swell potential of the soil and eventually classify the soil samples as swelling or non-swelling. As a result of the geotechnical studies, the average of the liquid limit values was between 28% and 56%, and the mean plasticity index of the units ranged from 13% to 24% in the overlying materials in the landslide zones. XRD analysis revealed that the most dominant mineral identified was quartz; illite minerals.