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Seismotectonic activity and slope instability are a permanent threat to the archaeological site of Delphi and the nearby Arachova Center of winter sports in central Greece. In this paper the geological conditions as well as the major active faults of the broader area are presented and discussed, with emphasis on the stability of the limestone cliffs above the Delphi archaeological site. The archaeological site is located in a complicated geological environment, while the steep rock slopes overhanging the Delphi monuments are intensively fractured. These unfavorable conditions cause deformation, displacements, rotations and partial destruction of the monuments, triggered mainly by seismic events. Protection measures are proposed, taking in to account that any construction must not disturb the view of the site. Any intervention must be preceded by detailed mapping of the rock joints and discontinuity planes as well as study of free and underground water drainage.

The complex sequence of large-scale tsunamogenic instability phenomena occurred on the subaerial and submarine NW flank of the Stromboli Volcano soon after the beginning of the December 2002 eruption is reconstructed and its relationship with volcanic activity is evidenced. After a brief description of slope morphology and stratigraphy, geometry and kinematics of the landslides are described. Finally, instability mechanisms that controlled the subaerial and submarine slope failures are proposed with reference to the different geotechnical, hydraulic, and loading/strain conditions that characterized the different stages of the slope evolution.

The monument “The Horseman of Madara” (ninth century ) includes a bas-relief and petroglyphs-historical chronology. The both of them are with importance for the ancient Bulgarian history. The monument was carved in the Upper Cretaceous calcareous sandstone of the abrupt Madara Plateau slope. The sandstone is fractured and eroded. The sandstone and the investigated monument lay over the Lower Cretaceous marls and clays. The slope processes take place in the Madara Plateau slope. They represent a significant danger for the monument, subject of study.

The contemporary movements along the fractures in the monuments are estimated by the extensometric measurement’s monitoring. The extensometric measurements shows significant displacement as result of the 1999 Izmit (Turkey) earthquake (= 7.4).

The central region of Honduras was strongly affected by the hurricane Mitch in October 1998. This disaster put in evidence the abundance of large sub-active landslides whose acceleration or reactivation caused important human losses and damages to infrastructure. In the same way, most of the thousands of debris flow and rock falls induced by the intense rainfalls were related to this type of landslides. In this region we also discovered the one that up to now consider the largest instability phenomenon in Latin America: the Ajuterique-Playón landslide, which area surpasses 25 km. The most of the large scale landslides have been developed mainly in Cretaceous calcareous formations and in the Tertiary volcanic formations. In some areas it the substratum of red layers or sedimentary rocks of continental origin (sandstones and lutites) is also involved, as well as the Paleozoic metamorphic rocks. The results of a preliminary landslide hazard mapping and evaluation carried out between 2000 and 2003 are presented here, including a general appreciation of the danger levels they represent.

At around 5:56 in the afternoon of 23 October 2004, a magnitude 6.8 earthquake struck the Chuetsu district of Niigata Prefecture. That was followed by a 6.0 quake at 6:11 p.m. and a 6.5 quake at 6:34 P.M. As a result, 46 people were killed, about 4700 people were injured, and more than 15000 homes were partially or completely damaged by structural collapse, landslide, or other cause (18 March 2005 survey of the Fire and Disaster Management Agency, Japan). The Geographical Survey Institute (GSI) quickly publicized models of crustal movement and faults by using continuous observation data at the GPS-based control stations. It has also been taking various responses to this seismic damage such as conducting emergency on-site surveys, taking emergency aerial photographs, compiling orthophoto, providing information about damaged areas through the Internet, compiling seismic damage maps and maps for earthquake countermeasures and distributing these products to related organizations (GSI 2005a). This paper provides an introduction to our efforts in these GSI’s disaster responses. First, we were able to quickly identify areas and types of damage arising from landslides, compile the data into geographic information and disaster maps, and provide them to the public and relevant organizations. Second, we compiled two types of 1:25 000 earthquake damage maps. One is detailed version maps which assist in restoration and recovery efforts, and provide a record of the damage that can be of use in landslide research. The other is color-shaded version maps which show with great precision the patterns and locations of damage using high-precision elevation data obtained from airborne laser scanning.

China is experiencing fast social and economic development risked by serious geological hazards. This paper reviewed the ongoing actions of mitigating geological hazards in China from some aspects. At first, the paper presented 290 counties’ statistic results of phase I of national geological hazards survey program on the basis of each county. The results indicated that slope hazards including landslide, rock avalanche and unstable slope and debris flow were major geo-hazard types, accounting for 92% of total geo-hazards; that the factor of triggering landslide, rock avalanche and debris flow was mainly rainstorm; that the dead was 8486 and the direct economic loss was 3.27 billion Yuan resulting from slope hazards; and that the population and property values were respectively 3.46 million and 15.09 billion Yuan threatened by potential slope hazards. Then, the paper introduced the method of geo-hazard risk assessment and zoning which was applied in a research project in China. Subsequently, the principle and successful effects of meteorological early warning of landslide in China were expounded. The Three Gorges Reservoir area was threatened most seriously by wide various geo-hazards such as landslides, rock avalanches and debris flows. Therefore, prevention and control of geo-hazards were especially introduced in the paper. At last, the paper proposed some recommendations for the national geo-hazard mitigation strategy in China.

Landslide occurrences in Greece, covering a long time period (1950–2004) were recorded and digitally stored using a relational database management system. The first evaluation of engineering geological data and the geographical distribution of the recorded cases led to the determination of most critical landslide prone geological formations, regarding lithology and structure and to a landslide hazard map compilation at a national scale.

Landslides process is one of the most widespread and dangerous processes in the urbanized territories. In Moscow the landslips occupy about 3% of the most valuable territory of city. In Russia many towns are located near rivers on high coastal sides. There are many churches and historical buildings on high costs of Volga River. The organization of monitoring is necessary for maintenance of normal functioning of city infrastructure in a coastal zone and duly realization of effective protective actions. Structure of monitoring system for urban territories is elaborated.

The water level of the Yangtze River Three Gorges Reservoir is adjusted periodically, and the stability of the slide masses on both banks is affected seriously. Against the background of the Three Gorges projects, the influence of drawdown speed of water level on the stability of slide mass was analyzed. The variation of the slide mass stability during the drawdown period was calculated and analyzed considering the seepage fields. Through numerical calculation, the relationships between the slide mass stability, hydraulic conductivity and water level drawdown speed were obtained. It might have some reference value for the study on slope stability in reservoir districts.

The Three Gorges Dam construction on the Yangtze River in China is the largest hydro-electricity project in the world. After the first impoundment in June 2003, many landslides occurred or reactivated. Shuping landslide is one of the most active landslides among them. In this paper, the deformation of the Shuping landslide monitored by GPS, extensometers, and crack measurements are summarized. Also, for the investigation of the groundwater situation, 1 m depth ground temperature measurement was conducted, and the groundwater veins were estimated. Based on the monitoring data and exploration results, a deformation model of the landslide caused by impoundment of reservoir was proposed.