A novel monitoring method, infrared thermal radiation imaging technology, is introduced into landslide physical model test. With the monitoring system which consists of infrared thermal imager and 3D laser scanner, the surface temperature and deformation is recorded during landslide evolution processes. The surface temperature difference is computed after revision and registration. The evolutionary stages is disclosed from the displacement monitoring data on the surface and the characterizations of the surface temperature during those evolutionary stages are studied. The results indicate that before the model landslide steps into the accelerated deformation stage, the temperature in potential rupture area increases evenly with load while small temperature difference exists between inside and outside of the potential rupture areas. After the model landslide enters the accelerated deformation stage, the banded high temperature anomaly area appears on the infrared thermal image of the potential rupture area. The temperatures difference between interior and external of rupture area widen dramatically and the highest difference reaches up to 0.49 °C. Meanwhile, the average infrared radiation temperature and time curve shows a trend of sharply increase-dropping inside the rupture area before landslide failure. The fact that the infrared radiation imaging technology is applied successfully in landslide physical model test indicates that temperature monitoring can be used as a a reference index to predict landslide..