Abstract Displacement waves (or tsunamis) generated by sub-aerial landslides cause damage along shorelines over long distances, making run-up assessment a crucial component of landslide risk analysis. Although site-specific modelling provides important insight into the behaviour of potential waves, more general approaches using limited input parameters are necessary for preliminary assessments. We use a catalogue of landslide-generated displacement waves to develop semi-empirical relationships linking displacement wave run-up ( R in metres) to distance from landslide impact ( x in kilometres) and to landslide volume ( V in millions of cubic metres). For individual events, run-up decreases with distance according to power laws. Consideration of ten events demonstrates that run-up increases with landslide volume, also according to a power law. Combining these relationships gives the SPLASH equation: R = a V b x c , with best-fitted parameters a = 18.093, b = 0.57110 and c = −0.74189. The 95% prediction interval between the calculated and measured run-up values is 2.58, meaning that 5% of the measured run-up heights exceed the predicted value by a factor of 2.58 or more. This relatively large error is explained by local amplifications of wave height and run-up. Comparisons with other displacement wave models show that the SPLASH equation is a valuable tool for the first-stage preliminary hazard and risk assessment for unstable rock slopes above water bodies.

Abstract Colloid concentration is an important parameter in models of colloid-facilitated transport. The purpose of the present study is to characterize colloid concentrations and colloid stability in natural groundwater from the Horonobe Underground Research Laboratory (URL) in Hokkaido, Japan. The particle sizes of colloids in groundwaters from the Horonobe URL range from several nanometres to c . 500 nm, with a mode particle size of c . 120 nm. Evaluation of colloid stability by DLVO theory suggests that larger colloids (i.e. >100 nm in diameter) would be more stable than smaller colloids in some groundwaters. The estimated colloid particle concentrations when considering the results of DLVO calculations ranged from 2.33 × 10 6 to 1.12 × 10 8 particles/ml, and mass concentrations were estimated to range from 45 to 1540 µg l −1 for diameters greater than 100 nm. Colloids in Horonobe groundwaters appear to be less stable, with a moderate potential for transport, than colloids investigated in similar international studies. This reduced stability may be due to relatively higher ionic strengths and moderate dissolved organic concentrations in Horonobe groundwaters compared to their international counterparts.