Abstract: Understandings on the movement characteristics of turning-type landslide in Shanyang county, Shaanxi Province, are obtained through discrete element analysis. The notable difference of movement velocity in the front edge of landslide lies in the differences in motion space, energy transfer, and deflection and blocking effect at each monitoring point in the leading edge of the landslide. The rock and soil mass in the middle of the landslide, as the major medium of energy transfer between the leading edge and the trailing edge, experienced multiple accelerations. The monitoring points in the trailing edge mainly experienced two stages, namely, acceleration and deceleration. Affected by the turning force, Shanyang landslide is a short-range landslide with high velocity according to the movement speed and horizontal distance, and the thickness of the accumulation body increased at first and then decreased along the motion direction.

Key words: turning-type landslide, discrete element method, movement velocity, deflection and blocking effect, accumulation characteristics