Exploring the groundwater response to rainfall in a translational landslide using the master recession curve method and cross-correlation function

Rainfall is a common trigger for landslide reactivation, as it raises groundwater levels and reduces bedrock or soil shear resistance. This study focuses on the Kualiangzi landslide in the southern region of Sichuan Province, China. Real-time monitoring of groundwater levels and rainfall from July 2013 to September 2016 is analyzed. Groundwater table increments, considering groundwater drainage rate, were calculated using the water-table fluctuation and master recession curve method and the response time of the groundwater table to rainfall events was estimated using the cross-correlation function. Results reveal that groundwater level declines from tension troughs to landslide fronts in the rainy season, with a significant positive correlation between the groundwater level in the tension trough and landslide surface displacement. Evaluated spring elevations for groundwater discharge range from 410 m to 440 m, which is in agreement with the actual spring elevations (390–423 m). Lag times of groundwater response to rainfall decreases with cumulative rainfall of the rainy periods. In the middle part of the landslide, two responses between rainfall and groundwater levels indicate two water movement pathways: Vertical cracks or fractures resulting from the slow landslide movement, and matrix pore space in unconsolidated sediment. Variations in peak values of the cross-correlation function suggest early dominance of the uniform matrix flow and later dominance of preferential flow during the rainy period.