Study Of Clay Shale Slopes Along The Panama Canal

Prepared for Office, Chief of Engineers, U.S. Army, Washington, D.C. and the Panama Canal Company

This report was previously submitted (April 1978) by the author to the University of Illinois in partial fulfillment or requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Civil Engineering. The reported work was conducted as an adjunct study to a long-term and broad effort entitled 'Study of Clay Shale Slopes Along the Panama Canal' conducted by personnel of the U.S. Army Engineer Waterways Experiment Station under the author's supervision. The work consists of a documentation of a case history in which the occurrence and nature of initial failures or 'breaks' were described and pin-pointed with respect to time, location, and extent; the geological setting and groundwater conditions were described; physical tests, with emphasis on laboratory determination of strength parameters, were conducted; and back analyses were conducted along nine cross sections constructed through six initial breaks to compare the required field strength parameters with parameters determined in laboratory tests. Important results and conclusions from this Supplemental Report as well as Reports 1, 2, and 3 of the series will be presented in Report 4, which summarizes the overall study.

Developments in Geotechnical Engineering, Vol. 14B: Rockslides and Avalanches, 2: Engineering Sites focuses on initiatives to offer a foundation for studies of mass movement phenomena in the Western Hemisphere. The selection first takes a look at the contributions of Josef Stini to engineering, geology, and slope movement investigations, the concept of Karl Terzhagi on rockslides, and the contributions of Laurits Bjerrum to the mechanics of rockslides. Concerns cover stability of hard rock slopes, influence of geological details, relation between slide process and remedial treatment, water pressure in pores and fractures, slope creep, rockslides, and avalanches, and early warning of an impending slide. The publication then examines rock slope movements with hydroelectric power projects in Mexico, Bighorn Reservoir slides in Montana, U.S.A., rock avalanche and wave at Chungar, Peru, and wedge rockslides in Libby Dam and Lake Koocanusa in Montana. The text examines Hogarth Pit slope failure in Ontario, Canada, pit slope performance in shale in Wyoming U.S.A., Twin Buttes pit slope failure in Arizona, U.S.A., and the Prime Mine slope failure in Arizona, U.S.A. Discussions focus on stability analyses, description of slope failures, cause of failure, remedial actions, geotechnical properties of tertiary shales, and subsequent slope performance. The selection is a valuable source of data for researchers interested in rockslides and avalanches.

Landslides and Engineered Slopes. Experience, Theory and Practice contains the invited lectures and all papers presented at the 12th International Symposium on Landslides, (Naples, Italy, 12-19 June 2016). The book aims to emphasize the relationship between landslides and other natural hazards. Hence, three of the main sessions focus on Volcanic-induced landslides, Earthquake-induced landslides and Weather-induced landslides respectively, while the fourth main session deals with Human-induced landslides. Some papers presented in a special session devoted to "Subareal and submarine landslide processes and hazard” and in a “Young Session” complete the books. Landslides and Engineered Slopes. Experience, Theory and Practice underlines the importance of the classic approach of modern science, which moves from experience to theory, as the basic instrument to study landslides. Experience is the key to understand the natural phenomena focusing on all the factors that play a major role. Theory is the instrument to manage the data provided by experience following a mathematical approach; this allows not only to clarify the nature and the deep causes of phenomena but mostly, to predict future and, if required, manage similar events. Practical benefits from the results of theory to protect people and man-made works. Landslides and Engineered Slopes. Experience, Theory and Practice is useful to scientists and practitioners working in the areas of rock and soil mechanics, geotechnical engineering, engineering geology and geology.