Spatial Estimation of the Depth of Soil with Application in Slope Stability

Thickness evaluation of the soil layer becomes essential when analyzing issues that include hydrological processes developed on slopes, as well as slope stability itself. This work is dedicated to estimate the soil thickness based in terrain originated variables, relying in easy implementation models differing between themselves in the approach. Confrontation of generated results was intended, seeking to indicate the differences between the explained methods. It was verified, still, the influence of the diverse soil thicknesses achieved, based in the models, in obtaining maps that depict slope stability. The foreseen methodology for this work is based in the comparison between three methods used in the soil thickness estimation. Applied models are based in terrain characteristics such as steepness, altimetry and curvature of the strands, as well as aspects related to the hydrographic network distribution. Softwares SPRING 5.2 and Matlab (Matrix Laboratory) were used comprising the implementation of the applied techniques, focusing in a region known as Pajarito, which belongs to the municipal district of Medellin, Colombia. With the definition of soil layers, such matrices were applied to a stability model of infinite slope type, providing configurations about the ground behavior against the variation of the estimated soil depth. As a conclusion it can be stated that this type of researches show themselves as of great importance in the way that they provide the generation of elements focused in environmental characterization, which is important for studies of various natures.