A failure mechanism of the fine Neogene formations: an example from Thasos, Greece

摘要

The Neogene sediments can be characterized by intensive geomechanical heterogeneity. Depending on their grain size distribution and on their cementation degree, they behave from medium strength rock formations to soft rock–hard soil formation. This heterogeneity influences the variety of the failure mechanisms and the intensity of the occurring phenomena. The detailed description of the complex failure mechanism occurred in a slope consisting of both Neogene phases in Limenaria-Thasos, and the detection of the preparatory and the triggering causal factor provide substantial data for the confrontation of similar failures. Also, the analytical presentation of the procedure and the conclusions coming from the conducted back analysis, conducted by means of the classical graphical method of decomposing forces on the stereo-net, constitutes an ideal example application for the simulation of corresponding composite wedge failures.