Earthquake-induced chains of geologic hazards: Patterns, mechanisms, and impacts
Reviews of Geophysics
Links
- More Information:
- Open Access Version: Publisher Index Page
- Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core
Abstract
Large earthquakes initiate chains of surface processes that last much longer than the brief moments of strong shaking. Most moderate- and large-magnitude earthquakes trigger landslides, ranging from small failures in the soil cover to massive, devastating rock avalanches. Some landslides dam rivers and impound lakes, which can collapse days to centuries later, and flood mountain valleys for hundreds of kilometers downstream. Landslide deposits on slopes can remobilize during heavy rainfall and evolve into debris flows. Cracks and fractures can form and widen on mountain crests and flanks, promoting increased frequency of landslides that lasts for decades. More gradual impacts involve the flushing of excess debris downstream by rivers, which can generate bank erosion and floodplain accretion as well as channel avulsions that affect flooding frequency, settlements, ecosystems, and infrastructure. Ultimately, earthquake sequences and their geomorphic consequences alter mountain landscapes over both human and geologic time scales. Two recent events have attracted intense research into earthquake-induced landslides and their consequences: the magnitude M 7.6 Chi-Chi, Taiwan earthquake of 1999, and the M 7.9 Wenchuan, China earthquake of 2008. Using data and insights from these and several other earthquakes, we analyze how such events initiate processes that change mountain landscapes, highlight research gaps, and suggest pathways toward a more complete understanding of the seismic effects on the Earth’s surface.
Suggested Citation
Fan, X., Scaringi, G., Korup, O., West, A.J., Westen, C.J., Tanyas, H., Hovius, N., Hales, T.C., Jibson, R.W., Allstadt, K.E., Zhang, L., Evans, S.G., Xu, C., , L., Pei, X., Xu, Q., Huang, R., 2019, Earthquake-induced chains of geologic hazards: Patterns, mechanisms, and impacts: Reviews of Geophysics, v. 57, p. 421-503, https://doi.org/10.1029/2018RG000626.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Earthquake-induced chains of geologic hazards: Patterns, mechanisms, and impacts |
| Series title | Reviews of Geophysics |
| DOI | 10.1029/2018RG000626 |
| Volume | 57 |
| Publication Date | June 14, 2019 |
| Year Published | 2019 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Wiley |
| Contributing office(s) | Earthquake Hazards Program, Geologic Hazards Science Center |
| Description | 83 p. |
| First page | 421 |
| Last page | 503 |