nvironmental Controlling Factors of Rock-Soil Mass Engineering Characteristics and Initiation Mechanism of Geological Disasters
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.30564/jees.v8i9.117265Received:31 July 2026 |Revised:9 September 2026 |Accepted:16 September 2026 |Published Online:30 September 2026
Abstract
The article is a review that addresses the environmental controlling factors of rock-soil mass engineering characteristics and how these factors contribute to the mechanisms of initiation of geological disasters. Climate, geology, vegetation and human activities are environmental factors that play a crucial role in physical, mechanical and chemical properties of rock-soil masses influencing stability and reaction to external forces. Some of the key climatic variations, such as changes in temperature, rainfall, and freeze-thaw are known to be the major causes of weathering and weakening of soil and rock materials. Also, geological factors like tectonic movements and soil structure, and biological factors like vegetation, are investigated as they affect the stability of rock-soil mass. The article also discusses the processes of geological catastrophes, such as landslides, soil erosion, earthquakes, and floods and how environmental stressors contribute to or intensify such phenomena. The intricate interrelations between the environment and rock-soil masses are important to understand to enhance the disaster risk assessment and improve the geotechnical engineering practice. Lastly, the article provides implications for engineering practice, noting that resilient and adaptive design approaches are necessary to reduce the effects of environmental changes. The review also provides direction for future research, especially regarding the formulation of predictive models and the impacts of climate change on geology.
References
[1] Tang, L., Wang, Y., Sun, Y., et al., 2022. A review on the failure modes of rock and soil mass under compression and the exploration about constitutive equations of rock and soil mass. Advances in Civil Engineering. 2022(1), 7481767.
[2] Chang, Z., Chunni, H., Wanghua, S., 2025. Resilience of rock engineering: concept, mechanism, evaluation and enhancement. Geoenvironmental Disasters. 12(1), 21.
[3] Liu, D., Liu, H., Wu, Y., et al., 2022. Characterization of geo-material parameters: Gene concept and big data approach in geotechnical engineering. Geosystems and Geoenvironment. 1(1), 100003.
[4] Zhang, Y., Meng, K., Fan, X., et al., 2025. Advancements in laboratory studies of layered rock masses for deep engineering: insights and future perspectives. Journal of Earth Science. 36(3), 1334–1340.
[5] Sivakugan, N., Shukla, S.K., Das, B.M., et al., 2025. Rock Mechanics: An Introduction. CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL, USA.
[6] Zhang, J., Bai, X., Song, Z., et al., 2025. Research progress and perspectives on prevention and control technologies for coal‒Rock‒Gas composite dynamic disasters: new types of induced classifications, discriminant criteria, and structural control schemes. Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering. 58(9), 10143–10181.
[7] Zhang, S., Wang, X., Tan, Q., et al., 2025. Correlation of engineering geological aspects of bi-geomaterial interface and failure patterns of rainfall-induced accumulation landslides in Huanggang area, China. Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment. 84(12), 1–19.
[8] Xu, Z., Chen, Y., 2025. Insights from indoor testing and numerical simulations of the Lanniqing Landslide in Zhaotong, Yunnan Province, China. Scientific Reports. 15(1), 38126.
[9] Verma, R., Kaur, H., Dwivedi, A., 2026. Land Use/Land Cover Changes and Climate Change as Conditioning Factors for Landslide: A Review. Economic and Environmental Geology. 59(1), 159–175.
[10] Biswas, B., Qi, F., Biswas, J.K., et al., 2018. The fate of chemical pollutants with soil properties and processes in the climate change paradigm—A review. Soil Systems. 2(3), 51.
[11] Chandel, R.S., Rai, P.K., Misra, R.K., 2025. Advancing sustainability: A comprehensive review of geospatial technology in monitoring climate change-driven landslide hazards. In GNSS Applications in Earth and Space Observations. CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL, USA. pp. 80–103.
[12] Achugbu, I.C., Olufayo, A.A., Balogun, I.A., et al., 2022. Potential effects of land use land cover change on streamflow over the Sokoto Rima River Basin. Heliyon. 8(7), e09779.
[13] Soltaninejad, S., Abdollahi, M.S., BP, N., et al., 2025. Toward sustainable infrastructure: Advanced hazard prediction and geotechnical risk management in the Jiroft dam project, Iran. Sustainability. 17(4), 1465.
[14] Zhao, Z., Shen, Y., Wang, Q., et al., 2020. The temporal stability of soil moisture spatial pattern and its influencing factors in rocky environments. Catena. 187, 104418.
[15] Panthi, K.K., 2006. Analysis of Engineering Geological Uncertainties Related to Tunnelling in Himalayan Rock Mass Conditions [PhD Thesis]. Norwegian University of Science and Technology: Trondheim, Norway.
[16] Miščević, P., Cvitanović, N.Š., Vlastelica, G., 2019. Degradation processes in civil engineering slopes in soft rocks. In Soft Rock Mechanics and Engineering. Springer: Cham, Switzerland. pp. 335–371.
[17] Dou, F., Wang, X., Li, W., et al., 2026. Study of macro–micro mechanical properties and instability mechanisms of rock–soil masses in open-pit mine slopes. Processes. 14(5), 830.
[18] Buss, W., Hasemer, H., Ferguson, S., et al., 2024. Stabilisation of soil organic matter with rock dust partially counteracted by plants. Global Change Biology. 30(1), e17052.
[19] Sung, C., Ishak, C., Abdullah, R., et al., 2017. Soil properties (physical, chemical, biological, mechanical). Soils of Malaysia. 22, 103–154.
[20] Hao, G., Wang, L., Liu, X., 2023. Methods for studying the effect of plant roots on soil mechanical reinforcement: a review. Journal of Soil Science and Plant Nutrition. 23(3), 2893–2912.
[21] Liao, Y., Li, H., Gao, K., et al., 2024. Study on soil stabilization and slope protection effects of different plants on fully weathered granite backfill slopes. Water. 16(17), 2548.
[22] Migała, K., Wieczorek, M., Kasprzak, M., et al., 2026. Long-term trends of freeze-thaw cycles in the Northern Hemisphere. Climatic Change. 179(1), 7.
[23] Kaczmarek, H., Bartczak, A., Tyszkowski, S., et al., 2021. The impact of freeze-thaw processes on a cliff recession rate in the face of temperate zone climate change. Catena. 202, 105259.
[24] Hall, K., 2004. Evidence for freeze–thaw events and their implications for rock weathering in northern Canada. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms: The Journal of the British Geomorphological Research Group. 29(1), 43–57.
[25] Peng, X., Frauenfeld, O.W., Cao, B., et al., 2016. Response of changes in seasonal soil freeze/thaw state to climate change from 1950 to 2010 across China. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface. 121(11), 1984–2000.
[26] Zhang, T., Li, D., East, A.E., et al., 2022. Warming-driven erosion and sediment transport in cold regions. Nature Reviews Earth & Environment. 3(12), 832–851.
[27] Askaripour, M., Saeidi, A., Mercier-Langevin, P., et al., 2022. A review of relationship between texture characteristic and mechanical properties of rock. Geotechnics. 2(1), 262–296.
[28] Fang, H.-Y., Daniels, J.L., 2017. Introductory Geotechnical Engineering: An Environmental Perspective. CRC Press: Boca Raton, FL, USA.
[29] Yousefifard, M., Ayoubi, S., Jalalian, A., et al., 2012. Mass balance of major elements in relation to weathering in soils developed on igneous rocks in a semiarid region, northwestern Iran. Journal of Mountain Science. 9(1), 41–58.
[30] Benedetti, M.F., Menard, O., Noack, Y., et al., 1994. Water-rock interactions in tropical catchments: field rates of weathering and biomass impact. Chemical Geology. 118(1–4), 203–220.
[31] Dupla, X., Brantley, S.L., Paulo, C., et al., 2025. Geochemical drivers of enhanced rock weathering in soils. In Geoengineering and Climate Change: Methods, Risks, and Governance. Wiley: Hoboken, NJ, USA. pp. 207–230.
[32] Ulitski, V., Gorodnova, E., Suvorova, E., 2015. Rock soil usage to provide buildings and structures stability in term of deep-frozen soil. In Proceedings of the ISRM Regional Symposium, EUROCK 2015, Salzburg, Austria, October 2015.
[33] Siegel, F.R., 2008. Soil Formation, Quality, Sustainability. In Demands of Expanding Populations and Development Planning: Clean Air, Safe Water, Fertile Soils. Springer: Cham, Switzerland. pp. 113–138.
[34] Yang, T., Xu, T., Liu, H., et al., 2014. Rheological characteristics of weak rock mass and effects on the long-term stability of slopes. Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering. 47(6), 2253–2263.
[35] Liu, N., Yang, Y., Li, N., et al., 2024. The stability issue of fractured rock mass slope under the influences of freeze–thaw cycle. Scientific Reports. 14(1), 5674.
[36] Turner, A.K., 2018. Social and environmental impacts of landslides. Innovative Infrastructure Solutions. 3(1), 70.
[37] Paul, B.K., 2011. Environmental Hazards and Disasters: Contexts, Perspectives and Management. Wiley Online Library: Hoboken, NJ, USA.
[38] Liu, X., Wang, Y., Zhang, H., et al., 2023. Susceptibility of typical marine geological disasters: an overview. Geoenvironmental Disasters. 10(1), 10.
[39] Lin, J., Chen, W., Qi, X., et al., 2021. Risk assessment and its influencing factors analysis of geological hazards in typical mountain environment. Journal of Cleaner Production. 309, 127077.
[40] Halkos, G., Zisiadou, A., 2019. Examining the natural environmental hazards over the last century. Economics of Disasters and Climate Change. 3(2), 119–150.
[41] Morgan, R.P.C., 2009. Soil Erosion and Conservation. John Wiley & Sons: Hoboken, NJ, USA.
[42] Spandana, K., Rajwade, Y.A., Ramana Rao, K.V., et al., 2026. Impact of Soil Erosion on the Environment, Climate, Ecology, and Economy. In Advancements in Soil Conservation: From Traditional Practices to AI-Driven Solutions. Springer: Cham, Switzerland. pp. 561–588.
[43] Osman, K.T., 2012. Soil resources and soil degradation. In Soils: Principles, Properties and Management. Springer: Cham, Switzerland. pp. 175–213.
[44] Hu, S., Zhi-mao, G., Jun-ping, Y., 2001. The impacts of urbanization on soil erosion in the Loess Plateau region. Journal of Geographical Sciences. 11(3), 282–290.
[45] Suwihli, S., 2020. Geospatial Analyses of Seismic Hazards and Risk Perception in Libya [PhD Thesis]. University of Arkansas: Fayetteville, AR, USA.
[46] Bela, J., Kossobokov, V., Panza, G., 2023. Seismic Rigoletto: Hazards, risks and seismic roulette applications. Frontiers in Earth Science. 11, 1136472.
[47] Aurelio, M., 2004. Engineering Geological and Geohazard Assessment (EGGA) system for sustainable infrastructure development: The Philippine experience. In Engineering Geology for Sustainable Development in Mountainous Areas. Geological Society of Hong Kong: Hong Kong, China. pp. 33–39.
[48] Djukem, D.L.W., Fan, X., Havenith, H.-B., 2025. Effective prediction of earthquake-induced slope displacements, considering region-specific seismotectonic and climatic conditions. Natural Hazards. 121(9), 10517–10552.
[49] Jonkman, S.N., Vrijling, J.K., 2008. Loss of life due to floods. Journal of Flood Risk Management. 1(1), 43–56.
[50] Douben, K.J., 2006. Characteristics of river floods and flooding: a global overview, 1985–2003. Irrigation and Drainage: The Journal of the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage. 55(S1), S9–S21.
[51] Sholihah, Q., Kuncoro, W., Wahyuni, S., et al., 2020. The analysis of the causes of flood disasters and their impacts in the perspective of environmental law. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science. 437(1), 12056.
[52] Vinet, F., 2017. Flood impacts on loss of life and human health. In Floods. Elsevier: Amsterdam, The Netherlands. pp. 33–51.
[53] Aldardasawi, A.M., Eren, B., 2021. Floods and their impact on the environment. Academic Perspective Procedia. 4(2), 42–49.
[54] Osipov, V., Rumyantseva, N., Eremina, O., 2019. Living with risk of natural disasters. Russian Journal of Earth Sciences. 19(6), 4.
[55] Khan, A.N., 2011. Analysis of flood causes and associated socio-economic damages in the Hindukush region. Natural Hazards. 59(3), 1239–1260.
Downloads
Issue
Article Type
License
Copyright © 2026 Zhe Pan

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.


Zhe Pan 
