Magnitude and frequency of rock falls and rock slides along the main transportation corridors of southwestern British Columbia

Abstract

The two main transportation corridors of southwestern British Columbia are subject to a range of rock slope movements (rock falls, rock slides, and rock avalanches) that pose significant risks to road and rail traffic travelling through the region. Volumes of these landslides range from less than 1 m3to over 4.0 × 107m3. A database of rock falls and slides was compiled for rail and highway routes in each transportation corridor using maintenance records spanning four decades. The records number approximately 3500, of which about one half includes information on volume. Magnitude - cumulative frequency (MCF) relationships were derived for each corridor. A scaled sampling procedure was used in part to reduce the effects of censoring. Both corridors yield MCF curves with significant linear segments on log-log plots at magnitudes greater than 1 m3. The form of both railway and road plots for each corridor shows similarity over several orders of magnitude. The slope of the linear segments of the curves depends on geological conditions in the corridors. Temporal histograms of the data show a trend towards reduction of rock fall frequency as a result of rock slope stabilization measures, implemented during the 1980s and 1990s. A risk analysis methodology using the slope of the magnitude-frequency relationship is outlined. The major part of the risk to life in the case examined results from rock falls in the intermediate-magnitude range (1-10 m3).Key words: rock fall, rock slide, landslide hazard, risk, magnitude-frequency, British Columbia.