Influence of Loess–Mudstone Strata Structure on Slope Seismic Stability of Loess Plateau in China

Abstract

The widely distributed loess–mudstone strata structure in the Loess Plateau of China is one of the fundamental reasons for the susceptibility and group occurrence of seismic landslides in the area. This study took the loess landslides induced by the Haiyuan earthquake as a case study. Through extensive field investigations, the loess cover thickness, mudstone dip angle, slope height, and slope angle were chosen as the influencing factors. Together with mathematical statistics and geotechnical tests, two models, one of a loess–mudstone slope and the other of a pure loess slope, were constructed. Their seismic stabilities under different slope angles and slope heights were compared to analyze the influence of the underlying mudstone strata on the loess slope seismic stability. Meanwhile, a sensitivity analysis of these strata factors affecting the seismic stability of the loess–mudstone slope was carried out based on the orthogonal test. The results showed that ignoring the underlying mudstone strata would lead to smaller calculation results than the actual situation. The sensitivity influence of the factors on the loess–mudstone slope seismic stability comprised the slope angle, loess cover thickness, slope height, and mudstone dip angle from high to low.