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Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology
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Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology; 2004; v. 37; issue.2; p. 76;
DOI: 10.1144/1470-9236/04-200
© 2004 Geological Society of London

Editorial

Introduction to Weathering and Slope Movement papers

Mario Parise1, Domenico Calcaterra2 & Matthew C. Larsen3

1 1CNR-IRPI, c/o Politecnico di Bari, Via Orabona 4, 70125 Bari, Italy
2 2Federico II University of Naples, Piazzale Tecchio, 80124 Naples, Italy
3 3U.S. Geological Survey, 436 National Center, Reston, VA, 20192, USA

The first 250 words of the full text of this article appear below. Images appear only in PDF or full-text views.

Weathering includes all the processes of chemicalalteration and physical breakdown of rock masses at, or near, the Earth's surface. Intense and/or continuous weathering processes may result in thick sequences of complex and heterogenous materials characterized by physical and geotechnical properties which have been strongly altered by the action of weathering. As a consequence, they may be prone to slope failures,erosion and landslides. In addition, availability of large amounts of weathered materials and loose debris in catchment basins may represent a serious hazard during, or following, intense rainfall, contributing significantly to the transport of sediment and debris during floods.

Landslides in weathered materials occur in many different geological, morphological and environmental settings: shallow and rapid landslides (mostly soil slips evolving into debris flows) are among the most common type of slope movements, although large, deep-seated landslides also occur on slopes affected by weathering processes. Despite the high frequency of landslides in weathered materials, and the damage and casualties they cause, the relationship between weathering and slope movements is not well documented.

In 1995, most of an issue of the Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology (vol. 28, part 3) was devoted to weathering, with particular reference to the description and classification of weathered rocks for engineering purposes. Landslides and erosion were discussed insome of the papers included in that issue, however, the focus was not specifically on the instability of slopes in weathered materials. Nevertheless, the complexities of the topic of weathered rocks, as well as discussion concerning appropriate description and classification . . . [Full Text of this Article]