Characteristics of groundwater movement at a hillslope above Kiyomizu-dera Temple, an important cultural asset

Abstract

To prevent damage to an important cultural asset by natural disasters, we evaluated the characteristics of groundwater movement, which is a significant factor in potential slope failure. The pore water pressures in the soil layer were monitored on a slope behind the historic Kiyomizu-dera Temple. Our results indicated that the pore water pressure responded quickly, reaching a positive peak value until the accumulated amount of rainfall fell below 20 mm. Although the responses of pore water pressure to rainfall were similar among observation points, there were differences in decreasing pore water pressure following the peak value. These characteristics were related to the highly porous soil structure at this site.