Summary
Slope movements induced by reservoirs involve various types of movement and geologic materials. Because they may be large and very rapid, rock slides related to reservoirs generally have been considerably more destructive than slope movements in surficial materials.
The Grand Coulee Dam impoundment, Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake on the Columbia River in the United States, has been the site of hundreds of reservoir-induced landslides since filling of the reservoir in the early 1940's. These slides occurred, and are still occurring, in unconsolidated Pleistocene glaciofluvial materials which constitute much of the rim of the reservoir. Another interesting case study on the Columbia River is provided by the Downie Slide in Canada. This 1500 million m3 prehistoric rock slide is of considerable importance because it will be situated on the bank of a major reservoir that is still in the planning and construction stage.
In the United States, impetus has been given to dam safety programs by the recent failures of Teton and Toccoa Dams. Although these failures did not result from landslides of the reservoir rims, the increased awareness of the importance of dam safety has also spurred national interest in landslides that constitute hazards to reservoirs and dams.
Résumé
Les mouvements de pente causés par un réservoir mettent en jeu quelques types variés de mouvements et de matériaux géologiques. Les glissements des rochers près des réservoirs, à cause de leur grandeur et leur vitesse de mouvement, ont en général produit plus de destruction que des mouvements de pente des matériaux superficiels.
Au lac de barrage de Grand Coulee ou lac Franklin D. Roosevelt sur la Columbia River aux États-Unis, ont eu lieu des centaines de glissements causés par le réservoir dequis qu'a été rempli le lac peu après 1940. Ces glissements avaient lieu et ont encore lieu au milieu des matériaux non consolidés d'origine glacio-fluviale et d'âge Pléistocène, qui constituent en grande partie les bords du réservoir. Le Downie Slide au Canada donne encore un exemple provenant des environs de la Columbia River. Cet important glissement de rochers de l'époque préhistorique comprend 1500 millions de m3 et va se situer aux bords d'un grand réservoir dont les plans et la construction sont encore en cours.
Aux États-Unis, on commence à donner plus d'importance aux programmes de sécurité en ce qui concerne des barrages, à la suite de l'effondrement du Teton Dam et du Toccoa Dam. Bien que ces effondrements ne résultassent pas des glissements de bord de réservoir, l'importance de la sécurité des barrages a excité l'intérêt national sur les glissements de terrain qui constituent des risques pour les réservoirs et leurs barrages.
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Schuster, R.L. Reservoir-induced landslides. Bulletin of the International Association of Engineering Geology 20, 8–15 (1979). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02591233
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02591233