Understanding the reactivation causes of ancient landslides is imperative for the prevention of landslides. However, the reasons for the reactivation of thick loess-mudstone ancient landslides and evolutionary mechanisms are unclear. This paper investigates the Gaojiawan thick loess-mudstone ancient landslide as an example using field investigation, InSAR time series analysis, and laboratory testing methods to analyze the reactivation deformation characteristics and reactivation causes of the thick loess mudstone ancient landslides, which were and verified by numerical simulation. The results show that fault fracture zones and groundwater primarily control the reactivation of Gaojiawan's thick loess-mudstone ancient landslide. Due to the fragmentation of rock mass and the development of structural planes in the fault fracture zones, as well as the excavation and unloading zone formed by the surrounding rock of the tunnel, it is beneficial to the enrichment of groundwater. It intensifies the interaction of groundwater-rock-fault fracture zones, especially for the red mudstone with more clay mineral content. The strength degradation is significant after encountering water, resulting in an imbalance in the stress state in deep strata and the reactivation of the landslide.
