Abstract
Due to its particular geotectonic setup and resultant terrain, the northern Pakistan has witnessed landslides as one of the major geohazards posing a permanent threat to life, infrastructure and socio-economic setup. The link between geological fault lines and landslides is well-established by researchers. The current study encompassing the landslides in a segment of the western limb of the Main Boundary Thrust (MBT) aims to look into the behavior of landslides along the MBT and role of MBT in landsliding. Field work was carried out for data collection regarding landslide parameters; kinematic analysis was carried out to indicate the failure pattern in outcrop while soil samples were collected for Atterberg limits, an empirical method was applied to assess the slope stability. Local communities were interviewed to record the landslide history and past behavior. Field observation, rock strength classification, terrain analysis and soil testing reveal that MBT and its associated factor like spring water and rock discontinuities along with anthropogenic activities are the main threat to slope stability. In addition, the much-projected higher precipitation in northern Pakistan associated with the climate change scenario has a higher potential to accelerate the landslides along MBT. The situation will be worsened by growing anthropogenic activities caused by increasing population on mountain slopes.
Keywords:
Landslides, Main Boundary Thrust (MBT), climate change
