Electrical Characteristics of Tangjiawan Landslide in Lixian, Sichuan

A wide range of terrain features and landforms, which are exemplified by intricate geological formations and diverse rock compositions, are found in the western mountainous regions of China. These areas frequently encounter geological disasters. As one of the natural disasters, landslides lead to considerable loss of human life and property. Considering mitigation of the losses caused by landslide disasters, a necessary measure for disaster prevention and mitigation involves conducting detailed investigations and monitoring of landslides, which is also the cornerstone of landslide warning. This study compares and analyzes the feasibility of the magnetotelluric detection method for landslides using the results of engineering geological surveys and landslide monitoring. The study aims to address the scientific problem of the validity of using magnetotelluric methods to detect landslide development processes. The Tangjiawan landslide signal on the left side of the K94+000~K94+145 section of the Wenma Expressway is analyzed by employing engineering geological survey, magnetotelluric detection, landslide monitoring, landslide analysis, and other methods. Analysis results provide the static electrical characteristics of lithology, structure, and groundwater, as well as the dynamic electrical characteristics of landslide development. This study focuses on analyzing the relationship between the methods of magnetotelluric detection and engineering geological surveys and the results of landslide monitoring. The workflow and methods for data collection, processing, inversion, interpretation, and analysis using the magnetotelluric method to detect the dynamic development process of landslides are presented in the conclusion. Preliminary conclusions indicate a strong correlation between the dynamic changes in magnetotelluric wave impedance with the surface displacement of landslides and the dynamic changes in groundwater. The use of the magnetotelluric method for landslide detection and monitoring is a feasible example. The research results can offer certain technical references for the detection and monitoring of landslides using magnetotelluric methods and also provide references and guidance for the selection of diversified landslide monitoring methods in the future.