Large reactivated earth flows in the northern Apennines (Italy): An overview

This paper proposes an overview on ancient earth flows and their reactivation mechanisms. All considerations made herein are the result of direct experience and observation of actual events which have occurred in the Northern Apennines from 1994 to 2006, when many large earth flows reactivated, 17 of which have been studied and monitored by the part of technical surveys of the Emilia-Romagna regional authority. Particular attention has been paid to the analysis of the evolution of landslides, acknowledging a typical, recurring succession of events that precede the failure of the slope. In general, the observation of past events has proved to be an useful mean for understanding which are the conditions and behaviours that usually lead to the reactivation of an ancient landslide body. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013.