Why the Xintan landslide was not triggered by the heaviest historical rainfall: Mechanism and review

Heavy rainfall has long been recognized as a key factor in the triggering of landslides, as large amounts of precipitation generally have strong weakening effects on anti-sliding forces along slip surfaces. However, it remains to be understood why the catastrophic Xintan landslide in China was triggered by only moderate rainfall rather than the area's heaviest historical downpour. In this study, we demonstrate that a locked segment (a natural...