Investigation on causes of the Siruyeh Landslide, West Semirom (Iran)

Abstract

The Siruyeh landslide occurred at the eastern side of the Siruyeh valley, 22 km west of Semirom city, south of Esfahān on 25th March, 2005 with large dimensions (2,400 m long, 450 m wide with total area of 1 km2). The sliding mass blocked the Siruyeh River making a 35-m-high natural dam and 6-acre lake 570,000 m3 in volume that poses a potential threat for the area. The landslide occurred in soil and intensely weathered marls of the Tarbur and Kashkan Formations (upper Cretaceous-Paleocene age). The overall comparison and interpretation of the gathered evidence from satellite images, field trips, and laboratory tests show that the most important factors involved in triggering the Siruyeh landslide in order of importance are heavy precipitation and snow melt and intense concentration of faults and fractures as well as weathered and weak lithology. © 2009 Springer-Verlag.