Assessment of Unstable Slopes in Mountain Regions Using Geophysical Methods

As transport routes, power networks, communication lines and human habitats expand in mountain valleys, the risks associated with landslides are growing on a yearly basis. To minimize these risks, there is a need to identify and characterise mountain slopes that are susceptible to failure. We assess the potential and limitations of geophysical techniques for investigating potentially unstable mountain slopes. Our assessments are based on two case studies involving mountain permafrost in form of a rock glacier and a steep rock slope well below the occurrence of permafrost. The internal structure of the rock glacier is delineated with a combination of seismic refraction tomography, geoelectrical tomography and ground penetrating radar measurements, whereas the steep rock slope is characterized with 3D seismic and ground penetrating radar measurements in combination with microseismic investigations.