Physical-mechanical behavior of fresh and completely altered rocks as an important factor of slope instability in the El Rosario Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary, Michoacán, Mexico

Slope instability in the El Rosario Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary, part of Mexico's Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve, is primarily driven by rock alteration and steep terrain. Research reveals that altered rocks exhibit significantly higher porosity (60.9%) and permeability (393.71 mD), with drastically reduced uniaxial compressive strength (0.26 MPa) compared to fresh rocks (17.1% porosity, 0.262 mD permeability, 63.5 MPa). These degradation processes, combined with slopes exceeding 30 degrees and atypical rainfall events, act as critical triggers for slope failures in the region. The study employed laboratory tests to characterize physical-mechanical properties of lower Miocene andesitic lavas from Sierra de Angangueo, providing empirical evidence linking rock alteration to landslide susceptibility in this ecologically significant area.

Sánchez-Núñez, J. M., Pola, A., Cisneros, G., Sereno, H. I., Serrano-Flores, M. E., Jiménez, L. Á., & Rodríguez, P. (2021). Physical-mechanical behavior of fresh and completely altered rocks as an important factor of slope instability in the El Rosario Monarch Butterfly Sanctuary, Michoacán, Mexico. Revista Mexicana de Ciencias Geológicas, 38(3), 272–282. https://doi.org/10.22201/cgeo.20072902e.2021.3.1674