Large Ancient Landslides of Armenia Formed During Strong Earthquakes, and Their Manifestation in the Relief

Abstract

The territory of the Republic of Armenia is located within the Mediterranean-transasian seismic belt and at the present stage of its development is characterized by high seismicity. This circumstance provokes the formation of landslides. At the same time, large landslides-blocks and landslides-flows up to 5-8 km long, up to 1-2 km wide and up to 100-170 m or more can form during strong earthquakes. On the slopes, such landslides associated with strong earthquakes of the past are distinguished by a characteristic relief, a relatively small amount of vertical displacement (100-200m, rarely up to 300m). At the same time, the amplitude of their horizontal movement in places reaches 0.5-1 km. This is due to the excessive horizontal acceleration obtained by a landslide during an earthquake. The report will consider examples of such landslides and their distinctive features.