Stability analysis of potential rock slides in El Rincon Cliff (GC-2 highway, Gran Canaria, Spain)

Abstract

In this work we have found landslides that may be developed in El Rincon cliff (Gran Canaria) and its impact on the GC-2 highway, at the base of the cliff. The stability analysis performed for the current conditions indicates that the slope is stable. The long-term analysis considers the water-saturated rock mass and defines the presence of two rocky blocks that are most likely to experience sliding, one along the mid-slope and another in the head. The mid-slope landslide would be favored by failure through the Formacion Detritica de Las Palmas, while the landslide located on the head of slope would have a more superficial character and would be favored by the failure through the pyroclasts of the Post-Roque Nublo Group. The landslide of the block of the top seems more likely since it only requires the saturation of the pyroclasts and is favored by the reduction of strength related to the progressive opening of the sub-vertical cracks.