Abstract
The evolution of the shear resistance at the base of a coherent landslide body can effectively control its dynamic behavior. High-velocity rotary shear experiments have allowed scientists to explore stress-strain conditions close to those found in large landslides and faults.
These experiments have led to two alternative models being proposed, which describe the evolution of the shear resistance through friction laws that depend either on normal stress or on velocity. Here, we discuss an integrated approach, first proposed to study seismic fault behavior, that reconciles these two models under a single parameter-the power density-which we utilize for the first time to investigate landslide dynamics.
Using thermodynamic and process-based considerations, different soil and rock types can be related to different weakening mechanisms, which in turn can determine different landslide behaviors.