Post-Earthquake Stability and Rehabilitation of Mountain Trails (‘Unnat Goreto’) in Gorkha and Rasuwa Districts, Nepal
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64862/ajeg.2025.2sp.79.209Keywords:
Mule Track, Stability analysis, Safety factor, Finite element method, EarthquakeAbstract
This study evaluates the stability of 2017-rehabilitated Unnat Goreto trails in Gorkha and Rasuwa, Nepal, post-2015 Mw 7.8 earthquake, using 2D FEM in Rocscience Phase2 with SRM (Mohr–Coulomb and Hoek–Brown) under static and pseudo-static (EQx = 0.1 g) loading. The Gorkha trail is stable statically, marginally safe at 0.1 g, but unstable under higher seismic loads, while Rasuwa trails are more stable. Soil-bioengineering measures and dry stone retaining walls (Types 1–3), along with mule loads and track components, enhanced the factor of safety, emphasizing integrated geotechnical, bioengineering, and structural interventions for long-term stability in seismically active mountainous regions.
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