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The La Pintada landslide, Guerrero, Mexico: hints from the Pre-Classic to the disasters of modern times

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Abstract

A landslide triggered by rainfall derived from hurricane Manuel took place on Independence Day, 16 September 2013, in the small village of La Pintada in Guerrero state, Mexico. There were 78 fatalities, 8 missing persons and 8 injured. Estimated cumulative rainfall in La Pintada during 1–16 September was 278.6 mm. The depth of the failure surface was 8 m in the middle and lower areas and 10–14 m at the top. Landslide volume was estimated at ∼125,000 m3. This paper provides a general account of the factors leading to hillslope instability in the region of La Pintada in terms of hazard understanding and offers a hypothetical view of the historical-cultural aspects of the foundation of the village, as a potential expression of past landslide activity.

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Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Clemente López-Bravo for providing the estimations of precipitation by using the CMORPH Global Precipitation Analyses technique and Alejandro Hurtado-Díaz, from the National Seismological Service (SSN), who provided earthquake information. Thanks are also due to Ann Grant for the English editing of the text.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Geography, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), Mexico City, Mexico

    Irasema Alcántara-Ayala & Ricardo J. Garnica-Peña

  2. National Centre for Disaster Prevention (CENAPRED), Mexico City, Mexico

    Leobardo Domínguez-Morales & Alberto E. González-Huesca

  3. National Institute of Anthropology and History (INAH), Mexico City, Mexico

    Alberto Calderón-Vega

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  1. Irasema Alcántara-Ayala
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  2. Ricardo J. Garnica-Peña
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  3. Leobardo Domínguez-Morales
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Correspondence to Irasema Alcántara-Ayala.

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Alcántara-Ayala, I., Garnica-Peña, R.J., Domínguez-Morales, L. et al. The La Pintada landslide, Guerrero, Mexico: hints from the Pre-Classic to the disasters of modern times. Landslides 14, 1195–1205 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-017-0808-9

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