LAUSR

Block size heterogeneity affects the propagation of landslides, particularly rock avalanches; however, it remains difficult to simulate with existing modeling tools. This paper presents a novel model that can explicitly represent block size heterogeneity in landslide propagation simulations. Monte Carlo simulation is used to compute a large number of blocks with different sizes. Two major processes based on two types of elements are applied to model the landslide propagation. The stress field of the landslide is calculated based on columns, whereas the movement is calculated based on blocks. We adopted a fluid model to establish the governing equations for the stress field and, then, applied a finite difference method to obtain the numerical solution. For the movement calculation, the model uses the motion equations of the blocks based on a Lagrangian description. Inverse Distance Weighting (IDW) interpolation is applied to reconstruct the column elements. The model was validated against experimental results from Manzella and Labiouse and the Xinmo landslide. Our simulations demonstrate that the duration and velocity of the landslides are consistent with observations, particularly that large blocks are more likely to scatter whereas small blocks tend to form a depositional fan.