Huge hazards are often caused by earthquake-induced rock slope failure. The study of dynamic response characteristics and failure mechanism of the rock slope in certain geological condition is an important issue in geotechnical engineering. Taking the Shuiqiuchi rock slope failure as an object of study

a shaking table test was carried out to study the dynamic response and failure mechanism of rock slope controlled by faults. The testing results show that when the dip angle of the fault is greater than a specific critical angle

part of the reflected and transmitted waves at the discontinuous interface change into sliding waves

resulting in a sudden change in the acceleration response at the fault. The peak acceleration amplification factor inside of the model slope presents a significant three-stage trend. Peak horizontal acceleration amplification factor increases obviously with the increase of elevation

while peak vertical acceleration amplification factor increases slightly with elevation. The natural frequency curve of the model slope can be divided into three stages with a downward trend

which indicates that the dynamic characteristics of the model have changed. By comparing the shaking table test with the Shuiqiuchi rock slope failure prototype

it is found that the main failure mode of the rock slope with fault structure is that the top of the slope first shows vertical tension cracks under the seismic load

followed by cracking damage of the broken rock body on the upper plate of the fault

and finally shear sliding occurs along the fault surface. This research will set example for the early risk warning of granite rock slope failure

and provide the basic data and scientific support for the development of Qinling Mountain geological heritages.