Multi-scale Frameworks for System-level Stability and Landslide Assessments

Brief description

The stability of earth masses, both natural and human-made, despite advances, remains a major research direction, if the goal is ensuring public safety and supporting prosperity (which it should be). My research efforts in this area have been focused on developing multi-scale frameworks so that we can understand the mechanics of landslides under extreme climate (e.g., storms, hurricanes) and earth (e.g., earthquakes) perturbations. These frameworks require the development of robust, and scalable approaches for field data collection, surface and subsurface condition assessment, as well as big-data approaches for analyzing risk associated with large populations (i.e., possibly many thousands) of landslides. It also involves an improved understanding of the physico-chemico-mechanical response of intermediate soils and soft, weathered rocks, such as those that are encountered near the surface of the ground and are shown to be commonly prone to landsliding. My research approach involves the engagement of a range of collaborating scientists and engineers and require interdisciplinary training in fields such as robotics, data analyses, geotechnical engineering, remote sensing and geologic science. Our work in this field, has been funded by many agencies including the National Science Foundation, NASA, USGS, the World Bank and other stakeholders, and study areas in the US, Nepal, New Zealand, and Greece. 

Publications

Journal Papers

  • Champagne, C. L., Zekkos, D., Lynch, J. P., and O’Loughlin, S. (2020) Waste Settlement Measurements using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles at a Municipal Solid Waste Landfill in Michigan, Geocongress 2020 (accepted). 
  • Kallimogiannis, V., Saroglou, H., Zekkos, D., and Manousakis, J. (2019) 2D and 3D Back-analysis of a landslide in Egremnoi caused by the November 17 2015 Lefkada earthquake. 2nd International Conference on Natural Hazards and Infrastructure, 23-26 June 2019, Chania, Greece.
  • Zekkos, D., Tsavalas-Hardy, A., Mandilaras, G., and Tsantilas, K. (2019) Using social media to assess earthquake impact on people and infrastructure: Examples from earthquakes in 2018. 2nd International Conference on Natural Hazards and Infrastructure, 23-26 June 2019, Chania, Greece. 
  • Saroglou, H., Kalimogiannis, V., Bar, N., Manousakis, J., and Zekkos, D. (2019) Analysis of slope instabilities in the Corinth Canal using UAV-enabled mapping 2nd International Conference on Natural Hazards and Infrastructure, 23-26 June 2019, Chania, Greece.
  • Zhou, H., Lynch, J., Zekkos, D. (2019). Vision-based Precision Localization of UAVs for Sensor Payload Placement and Pickup for Field Monitoring Applications, Sensors and Smart Structures Technologies for Civil, Mechanical, and Aerospace Systems, March 2019.DOI: 10.1117/12.2516049
  • Zekkos, D., Clark, M., Willis, M., Athanasopoulos-Zekkos, A., Manousakis, J., Knoper, L., Stahl, T., Massey, C., Archibald, G., Greenwood, W., and Medwedeff, W. (2018a). 3D models of the Leader Valley using satellite & UAV imagery following the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake, Eleventh U.S. National Conference on Earthquake Engineering, Integrating Science, Engineering & Policy, June 25-29, 2018, Los Angeles, California. 
  • Zekkos, D., Manousakis, J., Athanasopoulos-Zekkos, A., Clark, M., Knoper, L., Massey, C., Archibald, G., Greenwood, W., Hemphill-Haley, M., Rathje, E., Litchfield, N., Medwedeff, W., Van Dissen, R.J., Ries, W., Villamor, P., Langridge, R.M., and Kearse, J. (2018b). Structure-from-Motion based 3D mapping of landslides & fault rupture sites during 2016 Kaikoura earthquake reconnaissance, Eleventh U.S. National Conference on Earthquake Engineering, Integrating Science, Engineering & Policy, June 25-29, 2018, Los Angeles, California.
  • Greenwood, W., Zhou, H., Zekkos, D., Lynch, J. (2018). “Experiments using a UAV-Deployed Impulsive Source for Multichannel Analysis of Surface Waves Testing.” Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering and Soil Dynamics V, June 10-13 2018, Austin, TX. 
  • Saroglou, C., Asteriou, P., Tsiambaos, G., Zekkos, D., Clark, M. (2017). Investigation of two co‐seismic rockfalls during the 2015 Lefkada and 2014 Cephalonia Earthquakes in Greece, 3rd North American Symposium on Landslides, June 4-8 2017, Roanoke, Virginia, USA, 521-528.  

Refereed Conference Papers & Geotechnical Special Publications

  • Kallimogiannis, V., Saroglou, H., Zekkos, D., and Manousakis, J. (2019) “Back-analysis of a landslide in Egremnoi caused by the 2015 Lefkada earthquake.” 2nd International Conference on Natural Hazards and Infrastructure, 23-26 June 2019, Chania, Greece.
  • Saroglou, H., Kalimogiannis, V., Bar, N., Manousakis, J., and Zekkos, D. (2019) “Analysis of slope instabilities in the Corinth Canal using UAV-enabled mapping” 2nd International Conference on Natural Hazards and Infrastructure, 23-26 June 2019, Chania, Greece.
  • Athanasopoulos-Zekkos, A., Zekkos, D., Rollins, K., Hubler, J., Higbee, J. and Platis, A. (2019) “Earthquake Performance and Characterization of Gravel-Size Earthfills in the Ports of Cephalonia, Greece, following the 2014 Earthquakes”, 7th International Conference on Earthquake Geotechnical Engineering, June 17-20 2019.
  • Zekkos, D., Clark, M., Willis, M., Athanasopoulos-Zekkos, A., Manousakis, J., Knoper, L., Stahl, T., Massey, C., Archibald, G., Greenwood, W., and Medwedeff, W. (2018a). 3D models of the Leader Valley using satellite & UAV imagery following the 2016 Kaikoura earthquake, Eleventh U.S. National Conference on Earthquake Engineering, Integrating Science, Engineering & Policy, June 25-29, 2018, Los Angeles, California. 
  • Zekkos, D., Manousakis, J., Athanasopoulos-Zekkos, A., Clark, M., Knoper, L., Massey, C., Archibald, G., Greenwood, W., Hemphill-Haley, M., Rathje, E., Litchfield, N., Medwedeff, W., Van Dissen, R.J., Ries, W., Villamor, P., Langridge, R.M., and Kearse, J. (2018b). Structure-from-Motion based 3D mapping of landslides & fault rupture sites during 2016 Kaikoura earthquake reconnaissance, Eleventh U.S. National Conference on Earthquake Engineering, Integrating Science, Engineering & Policy, June 25-29, 2018, Los Angeles, California.
  • Carlson, C., Zekkos, D. (2018). “Impact of Ground Motion Modification on Results of Newmark-type Displacement Analyses.” Geotechnical Earthquake Engineering and Soil Dynamics V, June 10-13 2018, Austin, TX (accepted).
  • Greenwood, W., Zekkos, D., Lynch, J., Clark, M. (2017).  Data Fusion of Digital Imagery and Seismic Surface Waves for a Rock Road Cut in Hawaii. 3rd International Conference on Performance-based Design in Earthquake Geotechnical Engineering, July 16-19 2017, Vancouver.  
  • Zekkos, D., Clark, M., Cowell, K., Medwedeff, W., Manousakis, J, Saroglou, H., Tsiambaos, G. (2017) Satellite and UAV-enabled mapping of landslides caused by the November 17th 2015 Mw 6.5 Lefkada earthquake, 19th International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, 17-22 September 2017, Seoul, South Korea.  
  • Saroglou, C., Asteriou, P., Tsiambaos, G., Zekkos, D., Clark, M. (2017). Investigation of two co‐seismic rockfalls during the 2015 Lefkada and 2014 Cephalonia Earthquakes in Greece, 3rd North American Symposium on Landslides, June 4-8 2017, Roanoke, Virginia, USA, 521-528.  
  • Manousakis, J., Zekkos, D., Saroglou, F., and Clark, M. (2016). Comparison of UAV-enabled photogrammetry-based 3D point clouds and interpolated DSMs of sloping terrain for rockfall hazard analysis, Int. Arch. Photogramm. Remote Sens. Spatial Inf. Sci., XLII-2/W2, 71-77, doi:10.5194/isprs-archives-XLII-2-W2-71-2016, 2016.
  • Zekkos, D., Manousakis, J., Greenwood, W., and Lynch, J. D. (2016). “Immediate UAV-enabled infrastructure reconnaissance following recent natural disasters: Case Histories from Greece.” 1st International Conference on Natural Hazards and Infrastructure, 28-30 June 2016, Chania, Greece.
  • Michalowski, R. and Zekkos, D. (2016) Limit Analysis of the Reinforced Soil and Modeling Strength of Solid Waste in Landfills Using the Concepts of Soil Reinforcement. Geosynthetics, Forging a Path to Bona Fide Engineering Materials: pp. 106-115. doi: 10.1061/9780784480182.010 
  • Greenwood, W., Zekkos, D., Lynch J., and Bateman, J., Clark, M., and Chamlagain, D., 2016.“UAV-Based 3-D Characterization of Rock Masses and Rock Slides in Nepal.” 50th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium, American Rock Mechanics Association, Houston, TX, 26-29 June 2016.
  • Nikolaou, S., Zekkos, D., Assimaki, D. Gilsanz, R. and Deming, P. W. (2015). “Reconnaissance Highlights of the 2014 Sequence of Earthquakes in Cephalonia, Greece.” 6th International Conference on Earthquake Geotechnical Engineering (6ICEGE), Christchurch, New Zealand, 2-4 November 2015. 
  • Zekkos, D. Athanasopoulos-Zekkos, A., Grizi, A. and Greenwood, W. (2014). “The Railroad Embankment Failure of the City of Ann Arbor, Michigan, Case History As a Means for Teaching Geotechnical Engineering,” 7th Hellenic Conference in Geotechnical Engineering, Athens, 5-7 November 2014.
  • Athanasopoulos, G. A., Zekkos, D., Vlachakis, V., Spiliotopoulos, G. (2013).  “The December 29th 2010 Xerolakka Municipal Solid Waste Landfill Failure.” Proc., 18th International Conference on Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, September 2-6, 2013, Paris, France, 309-312.
  • Zekkos, D., Matasovic, N., Vellone, D. (2013).  “Case Histories of Geological, Rock and Mining Engineering, Underground Structures and Excavations – General Report, for Session 5.” Proc.,  Seventh International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering, April 29-May 4, 2013, Chicago, IL. 
  • Kayen, R.E., Ishihara, K., Stewart, J.P., Tokimatsu, K., Cox, B.R., Tanaka, Y., Kokusho, T., Mason, H.B., Moss, R.E.S, Zekkos, D., Wood, C.M., Katsumata, K., Estevez, I.A., Cullenward, S.S., Tanaka, H., Harder, L.F., Kelson, K.I., Kishida, T. (2012).  “Geotechnical Deformations at Ground Failure Sites from the March 11, 2011 Great Tohoku Earthquake, Japan: Field Mapping, LiDAR Modeling, and Surface Wave Investigation.”  Proc., 9th International Conference on Urban Earthquake Engineering/4th Asia Conference on Earthquake Engineering, March 6-8, 2012, Tokyo, Japan.
  • Guisbert, S., Zekkos, D., and Nisar, A., (2010).  “Time vs. Frequency Domain Ground Motion Modification: Effects on Site Response Analyses and Seismic Displacements.”  Proc., Ninth U.S. National and Tenth Canadian Conference on Earthquake Engineering, July 25-29, 2010, Toronto, Canada, paper #1115.
  • Zekkos, D., Guisinger, A. L., Medley, E., Vellone, D. A. (2008).  “Geological, Rock and Mining Engineering, Including Underground Structures and Excavations, and Subsidence of Deltas.”  General Report on Sessions 6a and 6b, 6th International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering, August 11-16, 2007, Arlington, VA.
  • Zekkos, D., Cohen-Waeber, J., Medley, E., Jesionek, K. (2008).  “Characterization of Weak Rock Mass and Geoengineering Analyses for a Canyon Landfill in Northern California.”  6th International Conference on Case Histories in Geotechnical Engineering, August 11-16, 2007, Arlington, VA, Paper #6.05a. 
  • Medley, E., Zekkos, D., (2007).  “Seismic Performance of Rock Block Structures With Observations From the October 2006 Hawaii Earthquake.”  Proc., 4th International Conference on Earthquake Geotechnical Engineering, June 25-28, 2007, Thessaloniki, Greece.

Publications in popular press/magazines

  • Zekkos, D., Clark, M., Gong, W., Manousakis, J., Greenwood, W. (2019). “Landslides Driven by Extreme Events: Can We Learn More From More of Them?” Geo-Strata Magazine, May-June issue, 44-51. 

Reports & Theses

  • Nikolaou, S., Zekkos, D., Assimaki, D. and Ramon Gilsanz (2014). “Earthquake Reconnaissance January 26/February 2nd 2014 Cephalonia Events, Greece.”  Version 1 Report for Web Dissemination GEER Association Report No. GEER-034 in collaboration with EERI and ATC. Available at: https://geerassociation.org/
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