Variation of iron species in sliding mud

Results of Mössbauer spectroscopy and ICP-AES measurement revealed a special distribution pattern of iron species in four crossing profiles of the Tertiary Formation Type of Landslides in Japan. In comparison with host rocks, the sliding mud in the landslide slip zone contains the higher ferrous iron content and/or trace pyrite, which indicates that the forming environment was relatively reducing. The total iron content also increased with an increase in ferric iron and pyrite, in contrast, decreased with an increase in ferrous iron content. The deep-gray and black mud layers formed and accumulated in various volumes within landslide slip zones are treated as the basic criteria for the slipping activity, because the soft mud saturated with groundwater is easy to create a plastic deformation.