Assessment of Regional Landslide Hazard

Patrick MacGregor, Consulting Engineering Geologist

The process of assessment of the risk of landsliding involves consideration of the likelihood of a landslide event occurring and also the consequence of that event. A primary requirement is an estimation of the level of hazard that exists i.e. whether a landslide could occur, and if so, its probable frequency. This estimation is commonly based on observation of site conditions, historical records and a considerable input of judgement based on experience. As a result it has been found that different practitioners have estimated different hazard levels for the same site.

In the situation where there may be many sites, or a large area, to be assessed, and also a lack of experienced personnel, it is necessary to establish some system, which enables uniformity of approach and in particular identifies problems sites, and also those sites with an acceptable hazard level.

The presentation will describe a system that has been developed and used to estimate landslide hazard in more than 800 sites in Victoria and Queensland.

Engineers Australia members participating in AGS technical sessions can record attendance on their personal CPD logs. Members should refer to Engineers Australia CPD policy for details on CPD types, requirements and auditing guidelines.