Types of Landslides along Lake Balaton, Hungary

Abstract

Landslides are often triggered by various mechanisms such as precipitation, increase in the groundwater table, surface load, etc. and are classified according to the geometry and intensity of the motion. This paper provides an inventory considering all these factors by interpreting landslide records and available maps of the lakeside banks of the largest lake in Central Europe, Lake Balaton. Landslides in these areas severely damaged roads and railway networks. These disasters are linked to the mass movements of hundreds of m3 in the past years. The study area, the coastal regions of the lake, is divided into three geographically and geologically different sections (Eastern Basin, North Coast, South Coast). The landslide forms and the proportion of various movements and their timing also differ in these areas: at the south coast, falls and toppling prevail, while in the eastern basin, slidings prevail. The leading cause of mass movements is soaking and human interventions in all areas. Continuous monitoring of these landslide-prone areas contributes to the prediction of sliding and help in the design of remediation actions.