Geotechnical Characterisation and Finite Element Analysis of Two Landslides along the National Highway 1-A (Ladakh Region, Jammu and Kashmir)

Dambu and Saraks slide are the two prominent translational debris slides along the national highway 1-A, which disrupts the vehicular traffic along this route. Detailed geotechnical investigation of soil samples from these landslides have been carried out to determine inherent cause of instability. Further finite element analysis (FEA) for the landslides was carried out to determine the strength reduction factor of the slope material for finding the critical slope failure point and total displacements. Results indicate the FOS of 1.95 for Dambu slide and 0.47 for Saraks slide respectively. The results of the geotechnical lab investigations for both the landslides are conformable with the FEA and the field observations.