Fill Placement on Slopes Underlain by Franciscan Mélange
Publication: Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 137, Issue 3
Abstract
Distress in two housing developments was caused by a deep bedrock landslide triggered by placement of a large upslope fill. The large fill was placed to create a visual barrier between the upslope development and downslope housing developments and to balance the cut and fill quantities for the upslope site. This case history presents some of the ramifications of fill placement on natural slopes surrounded by urban areas, such as overstressing underlying weak material that may exist below the depth of borings typically conducted for single family residences and office complexes; the importance of surface and subsurface information in a formation known locally as Franciscan complex/mélange (which is a block-in-matrix rock formation common to the area); the shear behavior of serpentinite, which is part of the Franciscan complex; and the importance of natural and man-made changes to a slope, such as rainfall, surficial grading, home construction, and fill placement. It also illustrates the importance of locating the critical slope cross section before construction and the proper use of back-analyses in a landslide investigation.
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Acknowledgments
The contents and views in this paper are the writers’ and do not necessarily reflect those of any of the developments, developers, homeowners, consultants, regulatory agencies or personnel, or anyone else involved in this project.
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Published In
Journal of Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering
Volume 137 • Issue 3 • March 2011
Pages: 263 - 272
Copyright
© 2011 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Oct 2, 2009
Accepted: May 18, 2010
Published online: Jun 1, 2010
Published in print: Mar 1, 2011
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