Block movements in the Pennines and South Wales and their association with landslides

Donnelly, L.J.; Northmore, K.J.; Siddle, H.J.. 2002 Block movements in the Pennines and South Wales and their association with landslides. Quarterly Journal of Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology, 35 (1). 33-39. https://doi.org/10.1144/qjegh.35.1.33

Before downloading, please read NORA policies.

Preview

Text
FINAL_PENNINES_paper.pdf
Download (386kB) | Preview

Official URL: http://qjegh.geoscienceworld.org/content/35/1.toc

Abstract/Summary

Fault scarps and graben features indicative of slope deformation have been observed adjacent to the rear scarps of landslides and on moorland plateaux in the Pennines. The scarps are distinct, up to 2m high and can be traced for a maximum distance of approximately 400m. These severely reduce the strength of the rock mass, enable groundwater to be channelled onto the upper valley slopes and may have played an important role in the initiation of first-time slope failures, and in the reactivation of older landslides. These features are similar to those recently described on the interfluves of the South Wales Coalfield valleys (Donnelly et al., 2000a, 2000b), and are consistent with those described as ‘block movements’ elsewhere in the world. Those in South Wales have been interpreted, by some previous investigators, as being generated during mining subsidence. However, in the Pennines, the slope and plateaux movements occur in the Namurian (Upper Carboniferous) sedimentary sequences where there has been no mining and it is therefore evident that other mechanisms are involved. In both South Wales and the Pennines steep-sided valleys have incised the moorland plateaux which in both cases are capped by strong, well-jointed cap rocks. These have exposed the underlying, much weaker, fissile mudstones which form the middle and lower slopes. These block movements in the Pennines are documented, discussed and compared with those in South Wales

Item Type:	Publication - Article
Digital Object Identifier (DOI):	https://doi.org/10.1144/qjegh.35.1.33
Programmes:	BGS Programmes > Geology and Landscape Northern
ISSN:	0481-2085
Additional Keywords:	discontinuities, geological hazards, geomorphology, landslides, mining geology
NORA Subject Terms:	Earth Sciences
Date made live:	13 Aug 2012 12:31 +0 (UTC)
URI:	https://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/19183

Item Type:

Publication - Article

Digital Object Identifier (DOI):

https://doi.org/10.1144/qjegh.35.1.33

Programmes:

BGS Programmes > Geology and Landscape Northern

ISSN:

0481-2085

Additional Keywords:

discontinuities, geological hazards, geomorphology, landslides, mining geology

NORA Subject Terms:

Earth Sciences