Abstract: The artificial slope of Anjialing Open-pit Mine was taken as an engineering background and a systematic study on the distribution of potential slip surface in the rock slope was carried out by numerical simulation software FLAC^3D with the geotechnical plastic theory. The results show that there may be potential slip surface in artificial slope, as there is an obvious shear zone; there are multiple starting points in shear zone, especially slope foot, and starting points tend to interconnect with the progressive development, then the coexistence of multiple slip surfaces may appear; the fitting degree of curve equation of potential slip surface and parabola is higher, and the fitted curve equation of potential slip and its critical depth equation is obtained; shear strain increment area is larger than shear zone as inferior dangerous surface and it may turn into a potential slip surface under external disturbance.