Descripción
The occurrence of mass movements, which took place in large numbers in 2022, on
the banks of Highway PE-177, the road linking the municipalities of Quipapá and
Garanhuns, in the arid zone of Pernambuco, sparked our interest in analyzing the
geomechanical behavior of these slopes belonging to the Borborema Plateau, with
the aim of investigating the factors that caused these events. The investigation
included analyzing the factors according to the literature, as well as collecting
samples for laboratory tests. The investigation led us to conclude that the rainfall
recorded in the region in 2022 was more than double the historical average, a factor
intrinsically linked to the events. Using the Unified Classification System (USCC),
we found that the two samples are classified as clayey (CH), with high
compressibility, as they both have LL >50. When they were subjected to the direct
shear test, the soil decreased as the humidity increased (saturated condition), while
the friction angle did not change much. The steepness of the slopes contributes
directly to the occurrence of landslides, because the steeper the slope, the greater
the increase in density, which reduces cohesion, creating overload and leading to
rupture. The vegetation on the slopes also contributes to the landslide phenomenon.
