Geological Survey of India

Rangrik landslide, Lahul-Spiti District, Himachal Pradesh

The Study was carried out based on newspaper report in the Times of India dated 02-082009 under title Volcanic-like activity triggers scare in Lahaul-Spiti in the mountainous region near Rangrik village in the Spiti valley. Rangrik village is the largest village in the Spiti valley and is ~7 km from Kaza town. The landslide which occurred on 28th July 2009 and is located ~2 Km SE of village Rangrik. The landslide is about 300m long, 200m wide and 35m deep. The hill slopes where slide occurred are covered by weathered to highly weathered dolomite with carbonaceous shale partings overlain by overburden material. The joint patterns recorded are: 35-50 dip due N50-65E. Continuity> 5m. 70-80 dip due S35-45E. The material involved in landslide is highly weathered rock and overburden material. It occurred in barren land and no loss of any life or property was reported due to this. The landslide, which pear in shape, occurred at the top of the hill slope at an altitude of ~4400m. At the crown of the slide 80m long ~30m deep vertical scar has been observed. At the base of the scar a patch of wet carbonaceous material was observed. Tension cracks 0.5-1 .5m wide and more than 2m deep have been noticed on the periphery of the slide nearby crown. Some local villagers with the help of binocular observed, gushing out of water, from the same patch at the time of slide. Causes:Prima-facie the causes of landslide are: Highly weathered grey to dark grey dolomite with carbonaceous shale partings Pore water pressure gradually increased in the impervious carbonaceous shale partings over a period of time due to obstruction of seepage. The source of water appears to be subsurface water recharged by snow melting. The dip slope plane (dip angle ~30-35) which might have contributed for tendency of downward movement and development of tension cracks at the crown Natural aging of slope leading to deterioration of slope forming materials.

Northern Region

Geological Survey of India

This slide appears to be a composite slide with rotational failure at the crown and planar failure at the toe of the slide. The slide is marked by vertical settlement of ~30m at the crown resulting in formation of ~30m high scarp, deep tension cracks on the periphery and a toe bulge of ~1 5m high just above the toe. Relationship between Spiti Fault and the current slope failure, if any, may have to be examined in detail. Development of the landslides in Himalayas is invariably a complex phenomenon. The main contributory factors for any movement of the slope forming materials depends upon the slope geometry, orientation or plane of discontinuities in case of rocks, geomechanical properties of the slope forming material like shear strength, cohesion, density etc as well as the intersection and change in balance system either by way of cutting hill slopes in any particular reaches of the river and stream courses or due to extensive saturation caused by the prolonged heavy rains, dynamic response during earthquake, toe erosion by rivers. In addition, change in slope geometry or excessive loading of slope without proper drainage system by human interferences are also one of the important potent contributing factors inducing instability.

Lahul-Spiti

Northern Region