Stability analyses of Chim Shale mudslides, Papua New Guinea

Significant aspects of mudslide behaviour are summarised and some of the mudslides along the Highlands Highway are briefly characterised. Stability analyses of the mudslides, using the infinite planar stability model, are presented, indicating that residual strength values of colluvial Chim Shale approximate the conditions at failure. It is concluded that accurate stability analyses are at least as dependent upon precise knowledge of shear plane geometry and mudslide behaviour as they are on the careful determination of the geotechnical properties of the Chim Shale colluvium. -from Author