Assessment of the threat of deformation in the sections of motorways crossing large landslide massifs in the Ursdon and Ardon river basins (Republic of North Ossetia – Alania)

The article studies landslide activity in the sections of highways crossing large landslide massifs in the basins of the Ursdon and Ardon rivers (the Republic of North Ossetia – Alania). The paper presents the results of systematization and analysis of various sources containing information on the location and activity (for 2005-2023) of large landslides crossed by highways in the basins of the Ursdon and Ardon rivers of the Republic of North Ossetia-Alania. There are practically no such large landslide arrays in the Ursdon River basin, but a significant number of them have been recorded in the Ardon River Valley. The map shows the location of these landslides in the river basins under consideration. Some qualitative and quantitative (area, volume, power) characteristics of landslide massifs crossed by roads are given, and a brief description of the soils that form them is given. An analysis of the most significant activations that occurred on these landslides during the studied period of time is carried out, and sections of roads located in the zone of their action are identified. The main natural and man-made factors causing the constant and periodic activation of the studied large landslides are characterized. The different degree of manifestation of these factors in different years causes different activity of deformation stresses on the studied landslide massifs and, accordingly, different degrees of damage to the road surface and road infrastructure in the zone of their influence. During the time period under review (2005-2023), the threat and degree of their deformation (damage, destruction) by landslide masses were assessed for the sections of highways located in the area of the studied landslides, and quantitative characteristics of the damage were given. An analysis of the socio-economic consequences of the identified, most significant activations of landslide massifs crossed by roads allows us to conclude that their danger to motor traffic in the Ursdon River basin is very low and in the Ardon River valley it is rather high.

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