Slide database — Sliding

There are always mass movements in Rhineland-Palatinate. The Rhineland-Palatinate slide database is a joint project of the State Office for Geology and Mining Rhineland-Palatinate (LGB) and the Research Centre Rutschungen e.V. at the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (FSR). Originally, the database was created in the then Geological State Office and continued in the Research Centre for Slides. Since 2009, the two cooperation partners have undergone a complete reprocessing. The database includes slides, rock falls, rockfalls, earthfalls and daybreaks in Rhineland-Palatinate. In total, there are 2291 cases of damage (status: 01.06.2012), which were mainly recorded and archived on site by the two project partners LGB and FSR. Further data comes from various diploma theses and dissertations, which were supervised by the aforementioned institutions. The oldest documented incident occurred in 1655. Most of the events cover the period from 1950 to today. The MS Access database based on Oracle’s own programming in the LGB contains 33 different data fields, which include, among other things, information on the location, geology, causes and safeguards of the mass movement. The recording of the data sets is essentially carried out by specially created lists of terms in order to ensure uniform documentation. The online presentation, which was created on the basis of the slide database, shows in which areas of Rhineland-Palatinate mass movements have so far occurred. It is aimed at municipalities, engineering offices, planners, appraisers, architects and interested citizens who use this information, among other things, for the planning and preliminary exploration of construction projects. The aim is to provide indications on the distribution area of mass movements. Potentially problematic areas can thus be identified in time, examined accordingly and an adapted approach can be taken. The Mapserver application represents systematically arranged tiles with an extension of 1 x 1 km, the color variation of which is due to the number of mass movements within the tile. It is expressly pointed out that, for data protection reasons, a precise, parcel-sharp position representation of the mass movements is waived. A concrete reference to the situation and the associated rescission to individual plots are thus excluded. It is also pointed out that the representation of a mass movement within a tile does not mean that this danger is present throughout the entire tile. Likewise, the lack of information on mass movements does not mean that they can be completely excluded there. In addition, the classification does not say anything about the current activity. Planned construction projects within a tile affected by mass movements do not necessarily have to raise problems, therefore it is also pointed out in this context that the dangers shown here do not replace spot and object-related investigations or assessments on site. Slides are movements of soil or rock masses as a result of gravity. The downhill movement often takes place on sliding surfaces. The speed can vary between a few millimeters per year and several meters per day. Similarly, the same surface depth varies between a few meters to several tens meters. In certain cases, the term “slides” is also used in a broader sense to summarise all kinds of gravitational mass movements.