Kopecký M., Panuška J., Frankovská J. & Ondrášik M., 2023: Reactivation of fossil landslides during motorway construction in overconsolidated Neogene sediments. Acta Geologica Slovaca, 15, 1, 1–10.

Reactivation of fossil landslides during motorway construction in overconsolidated Neogene sediments

Miloslav Kopecký, Jakub Panuška, Jana Frankovská & Martin Ondrášik

Department of Geotechnics, Faculty of Civil Engineering, Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, Radlinského 11, 810 05 Bratislava, Slovakia; miloslav.kopecky@stuba.sk

Abstract

Worldwide, landslides are one of the most significant natural hazards regarding human and material losses. Landslides can significantly increase road construction or maintenance costs. This paper summarises the slope stability problems associated with the design and execution of road cuts in landslide areas. The case study investigated East Slovakia in central Europe. Slope stability failures are discussed in detail in the article. Fossil shear surfaces were identified during road construction in layered or laminated clays. Moreover, limit equilibrium calculations and finite element analysis results are compared with the measurements during geotechnical monitoring. Calculations are consistent with measurements and support the presented concept of slope movements in overconsolidated clays in the presence of fossil landslides.

Key words: landslides, slope stability, road cut, geotechnical monitoring, overconsolidated clays, inclinometric measurements

Manuscript received: 2023-02-08

Revised version accepted: 2023-04-24