ABSTRACT
Monitoring of active landslides is fundamental for the design of stabilization measures, but is also important to check the behaviour of stable slopes which may suddenly become unstable, as a consequence of any change in boundary conditions, experiencing a catastrophic failure. This chapter illustrates some monitoring techniques which are being tested at the Geotechnical Laboratory of C.I.R.I.AM. to predict in real time the occurrence of rapid rainfall-induced flowslides in unsaturated granular soils of pyroclastic origin. Most of the landslides which occur on steep slopes evolve in catastrophic flowslides reaching a high velocity and moving for many kilometres even along flat areas located at the foot of the slopes. Risk mitigation in Campania is a noticeable problem because of the extension of areas which are exposed to the risk of flowslide. Collected data encourage in pursuing the research whose final goal is the setting up of new tools for in-time prediction of incoming slope failure with particular reference to fast flowslides.
