Peat slope failures in Ireland and the assessment of peat stability

摘要

Peat slope failures have occurred in Ireland as far back as the Early Bronze Age (4200 BP) with recent failures in the autumn of 2003 at Pollatomish,County Mayo and Derrybrien,County Galway focussing attention on such events.There are over 70 reported events of peat slope failures in Ireland,and more than likely a significant number of unreported events.The predicted changes in climate,particularly increases in extreme rainfall events,are likely to increase the occurrence of this geo-hazard.This paper discusses the occurrence of peat failures in Ireland and the causal factors involved.Current practice for assessing the stability of peat slopes is discussed and particular attention is paid to the assessment of peat strength.Recent developments to improve the determination of peat strength for stability assessments are also outlined.