Identification of landslide susceptible villages around Kalsubai region,Western Ghats of Maharashtra using geospatial techniques

Heavy rainfall triggered landslides are on the rise along the Western Ghats making it a matter of priority to identify landslide-prone areas well in advance. The present effort is aimed at identifying landslide susceptible villages (LSV) around the Kalsubai region of Deccan volcanic province (DVP), Maharashtra, India from 8 weighted landslide parameters- rainfall, slope, lithology, land use and land cover (LULC), soil properties, relative relief, aspect and lineament. These parameters were combined with advanced remote sensing (RS) data and processed in geographical information system (GIS) as well as in image processing software, which are an integral part of geospatial techniques. Out of the total 59 villages, the study identified 9 villages are situated in very high, 13 in high, 12 in moderate, 11 in low and 14 in very low risk zones. Our data reveals incessant heavy rains and steep slopes are the dominant factors in triggering landslides, exacerbated by anthropogenic activity prevalent in the study area. The spatial and non-spatial database created will help to take effective steps in preventing and/or mitigating landslide disasters in the study area. The methodology can be applied to identify other landslide prone areas in a cost effective way.     

Overcoming source limitations in drainage delineation by combining the streams of toposheet and DEM in river morphometric studies

A potential head ward retreat landslide area was identified in Munnar, a hill station in Western Ghats of Kerala, India. This imminent landslide was suspected to be formed in three different stages viz., evolution of plateau region, upliftment of the plateau region and the consequent slope modification which ultimately facilitated landslide occurrence. Geophysical study through vertical electrical sounding reveals that more than 11 m thick soil is still left in an overhanging position in the crown portion of the landslide and the thickness continues to the top of that ridge. In the event of high rainfall, the land can fail as there is no toe support, and the slope angle is >40º. This area is adjacent to a college building and in the event of any further landslide, the consequence will be high. Slope stability analysis using one-dimensional infinite slope stability model reveals that the entire area occupied by the college and the adjacent areas are unstable even in dry conditions. Rainfall threshold analysis shows that the landslide occurred due to very high amount of a 5-day antecedent rainfall rather than a daily rainfall during the monsoon. All these point towards a pressing requirement of landslide management practices in this area. This study also attempts to suggest a few management practices to minimize the effect of landslides.     

Weathering and landslide occurrences in parts of Western Ghats,Kerala

The climatic condition of Western Ghats has influenced the process of weathering and landslides in this mountainous tract along the southwest coast of India. During the monsoon period, landslides are a common in the Western Ghats, and its intensity depends upon the thickness of the loose unconsolidated soil formed by the process of weathering. Debris landslides with a combination of saprock, saprolite and soil, indicate the role of weathering in landslide occurrences. This paper reports on how the weathering in the windward slope of Western Ghats influences the occurrence of landslides and the factors which accelerate the weathering process. Rock and soil samples were collected from the weathering profile of hornblende gniess and granite gneiss. The chemical analysis and the calculated Chemical Index of Alteration (CIA) indicate the significant weathering and its possible influence on landslide occurrences in the study area. Mainly, the CIA value of lateritic soil and forest loam indicated the extent of high chemical weathering in this region. Rainfall is the dominant parameter influencing the chemical weathering process. In addition, deforestation, land use practices and soil erosion are some of the other important factors accelerating the weathering process and landslide occurrences in the region. The locations of the previous landslides superimposed on geology and soil show that most of the landslide occurrences are associated with the highly weathered zone, particularly lateritic soil and the ‘severe’ (rock outcrop) erodability zone.     

Evaluating pedogenesis and soil Atterberg limits for inducing landslides in the Western Ghats,Idukki District of Kerala,South India

Natural Hazards - In the Western Ghats of India, the soil properties, particularly Atterberg limits, are of relevance to the landslides. Pedogenic processes in the Western Ghats and plateaus on it...     

Landslide characterization using active and passive seismic imaging techniques: a case study from Kerala,India

The unusually intense precipitations of the 2018 monsoon triggered numerous landslides in the Western Ghats region, southwest of India. Although the landslides caused no casualties, significant damage to property and infrastructure was observed. We present, as a case study, the results of active and passive seismic prospecting at two of those landslides with the goal of characterizing them, in a first application of shallow seismic exploration to landslides in the region. Our deployments included both sites perturbed by the landslides and unperturbed slopes adjacent to them with the purpose of identifying possible structural differences between slopes that underwent landsliding from slopes that were not affected. We analyze seismic sections obtained using the multi-channel analysis of surface waves technique and compare the results with seismic noise analyzed using seismic interferometry. We show that different analyses give similar results. The lateral variations observed in the shear-wave velocity distribution below the different profiles are well correlated with dominant frequency determined from seismic noise horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratios. Our measurements were taken after the landslides occurred. In hindsight, our results suggest that soil thickness played a major role in the triggering of landslides.

     

Deterministic estimation of hydrological thresholds for shallow landslide initiation and slope stability models: case study from the Somma-Vesuvius area of southern Italy

Rainfall-induced debris flows involving ash-fall pyroclastic deposits that cover steep mountain slopes surrounding the Somma-Vesuvius volcano are natural events and a source of risk for urban settlements located at footslopes in the area. This paper describes experimental methods and modelling results of shallow landslides that occurred on 5–6 May 1998 in selected areas of the Sarno Mountain Range. Stratigraphical surveys carried out in initiation areas show that ash-fall pyroclastic deposits are discontinuously distributed along slopes, with total thicknesses that vary from a maximum value on slopes inclined less than 30° to near zero thickness on slopes inclined greater than 50°. This distribution of cover thickness influences the stratigraphical setting and leads to downward thinning and the pinching out of pyroclastic horizons. Three engineering geological settings were identified, in which most of the initial landslides that triggered debris flows occurred in May 1998 can be classified as (1) knickpoints, characterised by a downward progressive thinning of the pyroclastic mantle; (2) rocky scarps that abruptly interrupt the pyroclastic mantle; and (3) road cuts in the pyroclastic mantle that occur in a critical range of slope angle. Detailed topographic and stratigraphical surveys coupled with field and laboratory tests were conducted to define geometric, hydraulic and mechanical features of pyroclastic soil horizons in the source areas and to carry out hydrological numerical modelling of hillslopes under different rainfall conditions. The slope stability for three representative cases was calculated considering the real sliding surface of the initial landslides and the pore pressures during the infiltration process. The hydrological modelling of hillslopes demonstrated localised increase of pore pressure, up to saturation, where pyroclastic horizons with higher hydraulic conductivity pinch out and the thickness of pyroclastic mantle reduces or is interrupted. These results lead to the identification of a comprehensive hydrogeomorphological model of susceptibility to initial landslides that links morphological, stratigraphical and hydrological conditions. The calculation of intensities and durations of rainfall necessary for slope instability allowed the identification of deterministic hydrological thresholds that account for uncertainty in properties and observed rainfall intensities.     

陕西省宝鸡市地质灾害发育特征

根据近7年来陕西省宝鸡市12区县地质灾害详细调查资料,总结宝鸡地区地质灾害主要类型、空间分布规律、发育特征及其危害性。研究结果显示,宝鸡市地质灾害发育类型主要包括滑坡、崩塌、泥石流及不稳定斜坡等4类,总体发育特征具有群发性、突发性、周期性和链生性。其中,滑坡和崩塌数量多、危害大,泥石流相对发育较少,不稳定斜坡多与崩塌相伴生,大多发展为崩塌灾害。每年汛期在强降雨作用下,都可能诱发表层小型滑坡和崩塌,特别是城镇居民房前屋后的小型黄土滑坡和崩塌,以及山区公路切坡导致的残坡积层滑坡崩塌频繁发生,是宝鸡市地质灾害群测群防和减灾防灾关注的重点。     

Space-based monitoring of severe flooding of a southern state in India during south-west monsoon season of 2018

Kerala, a southern state of India, experienced a severe flooding due to multi-day extreme rain events during July and August months of 2018. This disaster was one of the worst floods to hit the state and resulted in heavy losses of lives and property. Natural Disaster Management Authority of India reported that 483 people lost their lives and more than 50 lakhs population were affected severely. This short communication focuses on examining this flood event using satellite remote sensing. It is reported that Kerala received an excess of about 56% rainfall during July and August from multi-day extreme rainfall episodes. Few regions of Kerala received the rainfall in the range of 270–300 mm on August 14 and 15. Hourly rainfall events in the excess of 25 mm have also been reported during heavy rainy days. The present study reports that multi-day heavy rainy events during July and August brought an accumulated rainfall of about 1600 mm, which resulted in extreme flooding over Kerala.

     

Landslides triggered by the 22 July 2013 Minxian–Zhangxian,China, Mw 5.9 earthquake: Inventory compiling and spatial distribution analysis

On July 22, 2013, an earthquake of Ms. 6.6 occurred at the junction area of Minxian and Zhangxian counties, Gansu Province, China. This earthquake triggered many landslides of various types, dominated by small-scale soil falls, slides, and topples on loess scarps. There were also a few deep-seated landslides, large-scale soil avalanches, and fissure-developing slopes. In this paper, an inventory of landslides triggered by this event is prepared based on field investigations and visual interpretation of high-resolution satellite images. The spatial distribution of the landslides is then analyzed. The inventory indicates that at least 2330 landslides were triggered by the earthquake. A correlation statistics of the landslides with topographic, geologic, and earthquake factors is performed based on the GIS platform. The results show that the largest number of landslides and the highest landslide density are at 2400 m–2600 m of absolute elevation, and 200 m–300 m of relative elevation, respectively. The landslide density does not always increase with slope gradient as previously suggested. The slopes most prone to landslides are in S, SW, W, and NW directions. Concave slopes register higher landslide density and larger number of landslides than convex slopes. The largest number of landslides occurs on topographic position with middle slopes, whereas the highest landslide density corresponds to valleys and lower slopes. The underlying bedrocks consisting of conglomerate and sandstone of Lower Paleogene (E^b) register both the largest number and area of landslides and the highest landslide number and area density values. Correlations of landslide number and landslide density with perpendicular- and along-strike distance from the epicenter show an obvious spatial intensifying character of the co-seismic landslides. The spatial pattern of the co-seismic landslides is strongly controlled by a branch of the Lintan-Dangchang fault, which indicates the effect of seismogenic fault on co-seismic landslides. In addition, the area affected by landslides related to the earthquake is compared to the relationship of “area affected by landslides vs. earthquake magnitude” constructed based on earthquakes worldwide, and it is shown that the area affected by landslides triggered by the Minxian–Zhangxian earthquake is larger than that of almost all other events with similar magnitudes.     

Numerical investigation of the stability of landslide-affected slopes in Kerala,India, under extreme rainfall event

Natural Hazards - This study examines the stability and failure mechanisms of two landslide-affected slopes in Kerala, India, after an extreme rainfall event. The landslide was triggered by an...     

Soil slope instability along a strategic road corridor in Meghalaya,north-eastern India

The road widening carried out along National Highway-40, a strategic road corridor of north-eastern India, to ease the traffic snarls for geopolitical developments in the region. The newly exposed in situ soil slopes along National Highway-40 are on the verge of shear instability, and slope failures occur due to heavy earth cuttings. As a consequence, the road corridor witnesses several geotechnical failures during rainy seasons. The blasting activities initiated and propagated the soil creeps and falls resulting road blockades. Even a small rain shower is enough to undercut and uproot trees and transport boulders and surrounding earth materials up to the corridor. Besides, landslides are also prone to damage demographic areas and settling house units, thus invites for preventive measures towards hill slope management as these slopes make the highway corridor unsafe to the commuters. Therefore, the present study is aimed to investigate the stability of the hill cut soil slopes and to suggest possible stabilisation measures. The study also highlighted that steep soil slopes with high moisture content are prone to landslides mainly due to infiltration, and water flows on the slopes during high and prolonged rainfall. The highly plastic soils rich in silt and clay size particles with high moisture content cause soil/debris slide and flow. The numerical modelling of slopes using Fast Lagrangian Analysis of Continua (FLAC) codes (version 4.0) indicates failures in excavated high angle cut slopes. The re-excavation and benching of unstable slopes with geonets or bionets or jute matting to promote vegetation growth were suggested as stabilisation measures by field investigation, laboratory studies and numerical analysis of slopes.     

Holocene reactivations of catastrophic complex flow-like landslides in the Flysch Carpathians (Czech Republic/Slovakia)

Complex flow-like landslides (CFLLs) are important geomorphic agents of Late Quaternary mountain evolution in the Flysch Belt of the Outer Western Carpathians. The CFLLs are characterised by the upper section of deep-seated, retrogressive landslide of structurally unfavourably oriented rocks and lower sections composed of earthflows originated due to liquefaction of material accumulated from the upper slopes. Radiocarbon dating of organic matter incorporated into landslide debris or related deposits suggests that most of the CFLLs collapsed repeatedly throughout the Holocene with typical recurrence intervals of approximately 1–2 ka. Catastrophic landslides that occurred during extreme hydrometeorological events in recent decades displayed evidence of Holocene activity. Most of the CFLLs dammed and steepened adjacent valleys. Our chronological dataset is biased by erosion of older landforms, but most of the dated reactivations correlate to regional increases in humidity identified by previous paleoenvironmetal studies.     

Structural,geomorphological and geomechanical aspects of the Koyulhisar landslides in the North Anatolian Fault Zone (Sivas,Turkey)

. Recently, numerous landslides occurred in the northern part of Koyulhisar. In 1998 and 2000, which were very wet years, landslides in different masses affected the geological formations which are well known for being prone to slope movements. Detailed geological, geomorphological and geotechnical surveys were carried out, and stability conditions in Koyulhisar village, located NE of Sivas (Turkey), are discussed in this paper. Kinematical analyses showed that the potential slope instabilities are in two main directions: the first direction is SE and the second is SW, these directions corresponding to the dominant slope directions of the study area. Geomechanic surveys confirmed that most of the rock slopes analysed are highly prone to instability. The SMR criterion gave results which correspond well with real stability conditions. Jointing and faulting, steep topography, water incisions, and heavy rainfall played a significant role in the occurrence of the landslides.     

Impact of Rainfall Variability on River Hydrology: A Case Study of Southern Western Ghats,India

The Western Ghats plays a pivotal role in determining the hydrological and hydroclimatic regime of Peninsular India. The mountainous catchments of the Ghats are the primary contributors of flow in the rivers that sustains the life and agricultural productivity in the area. Although many studies have been conducted in the past decades to understand long term trends in the meteorological and hydrological variables of major river basins, not much attention have been made to unfold the relationship existing among rainfall and river hydrology of natural drainages on either side of the Western Ghats which host one of the unique biodiversity hotspots across the world. Therefore, an attempt has been made in this paper to examine the short term (last three decades) changes in the rainfall pattern and its influence on the hydrological characteristics of some of the important rivers draining the southern Western Ghats as a case study. The short term, annual and seasonal trends in the rainfall, and its variability and discharge were analyzed using Mann-Kendall test and Sen’s estimator of slope. The study showed a decreasing trend in rainfall in the southwest monsoon while a reverse trend is noticed in northeast monsoon. Correspondingly, the discharge of the west and east flowing rivers also showed a declining trend in the southwest monsoon season. The runoff coefficient also followed the trends in the discharge. The runoff coefficient of the Periyar river showed a decreasing trend, whereas the Cauvery river exhibited an increasing trend. A high-resolution analysis of rainfall data revealed that the number of moderate rainfall events showed a decreasing trend throughout the southern Western Ghats, whereas the high intensity rainfall events showed an opposite trend. The decline in groundwater level in the areas which recorded an increase in high intensity rainfall events and decrease in moderate rainfall events showed that the groundwater recharge process is significantly affected by changes in the rainfall pattern of the area.     

Estimating potential landslide sites of an upland sub-watershed in Western Ghat’s of Kerala (India) through frequency ratio and GIS

The purpose of this study is to assess the susceptibility of landslides in parts of Western Ghats, Kerala, India, using a geographical information system (GIS). Landslide inventory of the area was made by detailed field surveys and the analysis of the topographical maps. The landslide triggering factors are considered to be slope angle, slope aspect, slope curvature, slope length, distance from drainage, distance from lineaments, lithology, land use and geomorphology. ArcGIS version 8.3 was used to manipulate and analyse all the collected data. Probabilistic-likelihood ratio was used to create a landslide susceptibility map for the study area. The result was validated using the Area under Curve (AUC) method and temporal data of landslide occurrences. The validation results showed satisfactory agreement between the susceptibility map and the existing data on landslide locations. As the result, the success rate of the model was (84.46%) and the prediction rate of the model was (82.38%) shows high prediction accuracy. In the reclassified final landslide susceptibility zone map, 5.68% of the total area is classified as critical in nature. The landslide susceptibility map thus produced can be used to reduce hazards associated with landslides and to land cover planning.     

Spatial variability and rainfall characteristics of Kerala

Geographical regions of covariability in precipitation over the Kerala state are exposed using factor analysis. The results suggest that Kerala can be divided into three unique rainfall regions, each region having a similar covariance structure of annual rainfall. Stations north of 10‡N (north Kerala) fall into one group and they receive more rainfall than stations south of 10‡N (south Kerala). Group I stations receive more than 65% of the annual rainfall during the south-west monsoon period, whereas stations falling in Group II receive 25–30% of annual rainfall during the pre-monsoon and the north-east monsoon periods. The meteorology of Kerala is profoundly influenced by its orographical features, however it is difficult to make out a direct relationship between elevation and rainfall. Local features of the state as reflected in the rainfall distribution are also clearly brought out by the study.     

镇江地区降雨导致滑坡规律统计分析

江苏镇江地区地属丘陵地带，近年来由于气候变化，调查资料显示镇江地区短时强降雨或持续时间较长的降雨经常 诱发大量浅层滑坡，降雨是区内滑坡主要影响因素，造成了较大的经济损失。文章通过对镇江地区300多个山体边坡进行 详细现场环境地质调查，结合收集气象资料，对该地区的滑坡与降雨相关参数的关系进行统计分析，得到了降雨量与降雨 持续时间对滑坡数量的变化关系。确定了镇江地区降雨阈值I-D 曲线，并将分析结果与其他地区进行了对比分析，研究成 果可为镇江地区滑坡治理和预警预报提供依据。     

镇江地区降雨导致滑坡规律统计分析

江苏镇江地区地属丘陵地带,近年来由于气候变化,调查资料显示镇江地区短时强降雨或持续时间较长的降雨经常 诱发大量浅层滑坡,降雨是区内滑坡主要影响因素,造成了较大的经济损失。文章通过对镇江地区300多个山体边坡进行 详细现场环境地质调查,结合收集气象资料,对该地区的滑坡与降雨相关参数的关系进行统计分析,得到了降雨量与降雨 持续时间对滑坡数量的变化关系。确定了镇江地区降雨阈值I-D 曲线,并将分析结果与其他地区进行了对比分析,研究成 果可为镇江地区滑坡治理和预警预报提供依据。     

Early warning system for shallow landslides using rainfall threshold and slope stability analysis

A combined cluster and regression analysis were performed for the first time to identify rainfall threshold that triggers landslide events in Amboori, Kerala, India. Amboori is a tropical area that is highly vulnerable to landslides. The 2, 3, and 5-day antecedent rainfall data versus daily rainfall was clustered to identify a cluster of critical events that could potentially trigger landslides. Further, the cluster of critical events was utilized for regression analysis to develop the threshold equations. The 5-day antecedent (x-variable) vs. daily rainfall (y-variable) provided the best fit to the data with a threshold equation of y = 80.7–0.1981x. The intercept of the equation indicates that if the 5-day antecedent rainfall is zero, the minimum daily rainfall needed to trigger the landslide in the Amboori region would be 80.7 mm. The negative coefficient of the antecedent rainfall indicates that when the cumulative antecedent rainfall increases, the amount of daily rainfall required to trigger monsoon landslide decreases. The coefficient value indicates that the contribution of the 5-day antecedent rainfall is ∼20% to the landslide trigger threshold. The slope stability analysis carried out for the area, using Probabilistic Infinite Slope Analysis Model (PISA-m), was utilized to identify the areas vulnerable to landslide in the region. The locations in the area where past landslides have occurred demonstrate lower Factors of Safety (FS) in the slope stability analysis. Thus, rainfall threshold analysis together with the FS values from slope stability can be suitable for developing a simple, cost-effective, and comprehensive early-warning system for shallow landslides in Amboori and similar regions.