Quantitative Study on Landslide Volume, Gravitational Potential Energy Reduction, and Resulting in Regional Centroid Change Triggered by 2010 Yushu Earthquake
XU Chong, XU Xiwei
Key Laboratory of Active Tectonics and Volcano, Institute of Geology, China Earthquake Administration, Beijing 100029, China
Abstract：As the main form of seismic ground response, landslides triggered by earthquake have received much attention in recent years. However, the researches on landslides volume, gravitational potential energy reduction triggered by earthquake and resulting in regional centroid change are almost absent. The aim of the study is to carry out quantitative study on landslide volume, gravitational potential energy reduction, and resulting in regional centroid change triggered by 2010 Yushu earthquake. The results show that (1) the total volume of the 2036 landslides triggered by the Yushu earthquake is 2.94×106m3 and the landslide erosion thickness throughout the study area is 2mm. (2) The materials of these landslides moved from the elevation of 4140.681m~4147.539m to the elevation of 4106.394~4113.251m, resulting in the average dropped distance of 27.430~41.145m. (3) The gravitational potential energy reduction related to the landslides is (2~3) ×1012J. (4) The average regional elevation of the study area is 4427.160m. The value is constant with the assumption that the accumulation materials retain in situ. Whereas it changes from 4427.160m to 4427.158m under the situation of all landslide materials moved out of the study area. (5) Based on the assumption that all landslide materials moved out of the study area, the elevations of the crust centroid for the study area changes from 2222.45967m to 2222.45867m, that means, due to the landslides the dropping value of crust centroid for the study area is 1mm. Whereas the value is 0.0066~0.0099mm, assuming that the materials retain in situ.
2013, Vol. 31 
