Sand in a desert dune demonstrating a similar type of landslide called retrogressive where failure forms at the bottom,…

Sand in a desert dune demonstrating a similar type of landslide called retrogressive where failure forms at the bottom, progressing up a slope. Due to the absence of cohesion and shape of the grains, this phenomenon is possible in sands.

Sensitive clays are known for producing retrogressive landslides, also called spread or flowslides. The key characteristics associated with the occurrence of these landslides on a sensitive clay slope must be evaluated, and the potential retrogressive distance must be evaluated.

Retrogressive landslides in sensitive clays often occur following a single major perturbation, such as an earthquake, or they may occur after a large number of annual load cycles at a geological time scale, with the final trigger related to a minor and seemingly innocuous perturbation. These failure events can therefore occur without any obvious warning signs. The potential retrogressive distance of these landslides can also reach values much greater than 100 m. This uncertainty in their behavior emphasizes the importance of determining where these landslides can occur.

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