Use this checklist to screen slope conditions before doing a simplified factor of safety calculation or requesting a more detailed geotechnical stability evaluation.
Field Observations
- Slope angle, height, soil thickness, surface cover, and evidence of fill or colluvium
- Scarps, tension cracks, hummocky ground, bulging toe, tilted trees, and offset fences
- Seepage, wet zones, springs, erosion channels, and recent rainfall or irrigation changes
- Toe excavation, added fill, surcharge at the crest, utility leaks, and drainage outlets
Screening Inputs
- Potential failure model: shallow planar, rotational, translational, or uncertain
- Unit weight, cohesion, friction angle, undrained strength, or residual strength source
- Groundwater or pore pressure assumption used for dry, wet, and adverse cases
- Consequence level and whether the slope affects buildings, roads, utilities, or public areas
Engineering Notes
- A simple infinite slope model is not suitable for deep rotational failures.
- Water and weak layers often control slope behavior more than average slope angle.
- Active or accelerating movement should be treated as a field safety concern, not only a calculation problem.
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Slope Stability Screening Checklist
The downloadable text file mirrors the checklist structure on this page so it can be copied into project notes, field forms, study binders, or calculation records.