Do post-failure landslides become stable?

[Display omitted] •Most post-failure landslides are still unstable.•The velocity of post-failure landslides expresses a good power-law dependence.•Seasonal variation has a significant impact on landslide movement behavior. Deformation law and development trend of post-failure landslides are important in stability assessments in landslide prone areas. However, research on post-failure landslide behavior is relatively rare. Based on the Small Baseline Subset (SBAS) approach, the post-failure during the dry and rainy season of selected landslides at the eastern margin of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in China were studied. Most post-failure landslides were still unstable, and acceleration of displacement occurred during the rainy season. While the velocity distribution of the landslides varies, all of them express a good power-law dependence. Although medium and large velocities account for only a small proportion, they have a significant impact on slope stability. In addition, three types of post-failure movement pattern were identified: (1) the landslide velocity decreased gradually during the dry and rainy season; (2) the landslide velocity gradually increased during the dry and rainy seasons; (3) the velocity of most landslides was above average, and it was higher during the rainy season. Furthermore, the deformation of most landslides shows a long-term positive correlation. The study revealed insights into movement behavior and stability changes of post-failure landslides.