Effects of soil heterogeneity on susceptibility of shallow landslides

Uncertainties in parameters of landslide susceptibility models often hinder them from providing accurate spatial and temporal predictions of landslide occurrences. Substantial contribution to the uncertainties in landslide assessment originates from spatially variable geotechnical and hydrological parameters. These input parameters may often vary significantly through space, even within the same geological deposit, and there is a need to quantify the effects of the uncertainties in these parameters. This study addresses this issue with a new three-dimensional probabilistic landslide susceptibility model. The spatial variability of the model parameters is modeled with the random field approach and coupled with the Monte Carlo method to propagate uncertainties from the model parameters to landslide predictions (i.e., factor of safety). The resulting uncertainties in landslide predictions allow the effects of spatial variability in the input parameters to be quantified. The performance of the proposed model in capturing the effect of spatial variability and predicting landslide occurrence has been compared with a conventional physical-based landslide susceptibility model that does not account for three-dimensional effects on slope stability. The results indicate that the proposed model has better performance in landslide prediction with higher accuracy and precision than the conventional model. The novelty of this study is illustrating the effects of the soil heterogeneity on the susceptibility of shallow landslides, which was made possible by the development of a three-dimensional slope stability model that was coupled with random field model and the Monte Carlo method.

     

A subjective and objective integrated weighting method for landslides susceptibility mapping based on GIS

The purpose of this study is to present a weighting method, integrating subjective weight with objective weight, for landslides susceptibility mapping based on geographical information system (GIS). First, the landslide inventory, aspect, slope, proximity to streams of drainage network, proximity to railway, proximity to road, topography, elevation, lithology, tectonic activity and annual precipitation, including their subclasses, were taken as independent landslide causal factors. Second, objective weights of the causal factors were calculated according to the landslide area density based on entropy weighting method, and key factors were selected according to the rank of the objective weights. Third, trapezoidal fuzzy number weighting approach was used to assess the sub-classes of each key factor. Finally, a case study was carried out in Guizhou province, China. A landslide susceptibility map was created using weighted linear combination model based on GIS. Using a predicted map of probability, the study area was classified into four categories of landslide susceptibility: low, moderate, moderate-high, and high.     

Mapping susceptibility of rainfall-triggered shallow landslides using a probabilistic approach

To prepare a landslide susceptibility map is essential to identify hazardous regions, construct appropriate mitigation facilities, and plan emergency measures for a region prone to landslides triggered by rainfall. The conventional mapping methods require much information about past landslides records and contributing terrace and rainfall. They also rely heavily on the quantity and quality of accessible information and subjectively of the map builder. This paper contributes to a systematic and quantitative assessment of mapping landslide hazards over a region. Geographical Information System is implemented to retrieve relevant parameters from data layers, including the spatial distribution of transient fluid pressures, which is estimated using the TRIGRS program. The factor of safety of each pixel in the study region is calculated analytically. Monte Carlo simulation of random variables is conducted to process the estimation of fluid pressure and factor of safety for multiple times. The failure probability of each pixel is thus estimated. These procedures of mapping landslide potential are demonstrated in a case history. The analysis results reveal a positive correlation between landslide probability and accumulated rainfall. This approach gives simulation results compared to field records. The location and size of actual landslide are well predicted. An explanation for some of the inconsistencies is also provided to emphasize the importance of site information on the accuracy of mapping results.     

GIS-based weights-of-evidence modelling of rainfall-induced landslides in small catchments for landslide susceptibility mapping

Landslide susceptibility mapping is a vital tool for disaster management and planning development activities in mountainous terrains of tropical and subtropical environments. In this paper, the weights-of-evidence modelling was applied, within a geographical information system (GIS), to derive landslide susceptibility map of two small catchments of Shikoku, Japan. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the importance of weights-of-evidence modelling in the generation of landslide susceptibility maps in relatively small catchments having an area less than 4 sq km. For the study area in Moriyuki and Monnyu catchments, northeast Shikoku Island in west Japan, a data set was generated at scale 1:5,000. Relevant thematic maps representing various factors (e.g. slope, aspect, relief, flow accumulation, soil depth, soil type, land use and distance to road) that are related to landslide activity were generated using field data and GIS techniques. Both catchments have homogeneous geology and only consist of Cretaceous granitic rock. Thus, bedrock geology was not considered in data layering during GIS analysis. Success rates were also estimated to evaluate the accuracy of landslide susceptibility maps and the weights-of-evidence modelling was found useful in landslide susceptibility mapping of small catchments.     

Soil depth reconstruction for the assessment of the susceptibility to shallow landslides in fine-grained slopes

This paper proposes a methodology aimed at reconstructing the maximum thickness mobilized by shallow landslides in fine-grained soils with the aid of geological and geotechnical analyses. The methodology, implemented within a geographic information system (GIS) environment, is composed of two stages for map reconstruction and two stages for map validation. The first stage of map reconstruction is aimed at individuating the soil thickness on the basis of only topographical and geological analyses; the second stage improves the previously obtained map with the aid of morphological and geotechnical analyses that provide a thickness map usable for shallow landslide susceptibility assessment. This map is validated with the aid of both in situ investigations (stage I), and geotechnical models able to back-analyse shallow precipitation-induced landslides over a wide area (stage II). An application of the proposed methodology is provided for a test area of the Calabria region (southern Italy) that is representative of the Catanzaro Strait, where widely diffused shallow landslides in fine-grained soils systematically occur. The results highlight the usefulness and reliability of the geotechnical models when implemented with the aid of a database representative of fine-grained soils while a secondary role is played by in situ investigations that in the test site have been performed only in a few representative and accessible areas.     

A proposal for an approach to mapping susceptibility to landslides using natural language processing and machine learning

Landslides - Compiling an inventory is a fundamental step for carrying out assessments of landslide hazards. However, data in sufficient quantity and quality are not always available. Thus, this...     

平推式滑坡运动距离计算模型

平推式滑坡是四川盆地红层地区和三峡库区普遍存在的一类十分特殊的滑坡。多发育于近水平砂、泥岩互层的斜坡中,岩层倾角一般仅3°～5°,最陡者也不超过10°。基于平推式滑坡的地质力学模型及运动过程分析,利用能量守恒的原理推导了平推式滑坡运动距离的理论计算公式。进行了3组物理模型模拟试验,第Ⅰ组试验模拟滑坡后部裂缝在不同宽度及水头高度作用下滑坡体的运动距离,对推导的理论公式进行校验。通过对比分析认为,平推式滑坡前缘剪出口地下水排泄状态呈少量点状排泄时,滑坡基底扬压力分布形态整体上与矩形更加接近。为了进一步校验理论公式,进行了第Ⅱ组、第Ⅲ组试验,每组分别固定初始水头高度和初始裂缝宽度,模型设置了前缘整体渗水和完全堵塞两种情况。物理模拟试验验证了理论公式的可靠性和适用性。将理论公式应用于狮子山滑坡运动距离的计算,应用结果表明计算公式适用性良好。研究成果对平推式滑坡防治具有一定的指导意义。     

Flash flood susceptibility mapping using a novel deep learning model based on deep belief network,back propagation and genetic algorithm

Flash floods are responsible for loss of life and considerable property damage in many countries.Flood susceptibility maps contribute to flood risk reduction in areas that are prone to this hazard if appropriately used by landuse planners and emergency managers.The main objective of this study is to prepare an accurate flood susceptibility map for the Haraz watershed in Iran using a novel modeling approach(DBPGA) based on Deep Belief Network(DBN) with Back Propagation(BP) algorithm optimized by the Genetic Algorithm(GA).For this task, a database comprising ten conditioning factors and 194 flood locations was created using the One-R Attribute Evaluation(ORAE) technique.Various well-known machine learning and optimization algorithms were used as benchmarks to compare the prediction accuracy of the proposed model.Statistical metrics include sensitivity,specificity accuracy, root mean square error(RMSE), and area under the receiver operatic characteristic curve(AUC) were used to assess the validity of the proposed model.The result shows that the proposed model has the highest goodness-of-fit(AUC = 0.989) and prediction accuracy(AUC = 0.985), and based on the validation dataset it outperforms benchmark models including LR(0.885), LMT(0.934), BLR(0.936), ADT(0.976), NBT(0.974), REPTree(0.811), ANFIS-BAT(0.944), ANFIS-CA(0.921), ANFIS-IWO(0.939), ANFIS-ICA(0.947), and ANFIS-FA(0.917).We conclude that the DBPGA model is an excellent alternative tool for predicting flash flood susceptibility for other regions prone to flash floods.     

Experimental analysis and modelling of shallow landslides

The paper presents the results of some experimental tests reproducing the triggering mechanism of a special kind of shallow landslides induced by rainfalls (soil slip) in a physical 1-g model. The experimental data have been employed to verify the capability of a simplified stability model to describe the phenomenon and to back-analyse its occurrence in a case history (Pizzo d’Alvano, Campania Region 1998). The method enables a direct correlation between the safety factor of a slope and rainfall intensity, as well as antecedent rainfalls.     

Physical and numerical modelling of shallow landslides

Physical modelling is an extremely useful tool for the study of the triggering process of shallow landslides. For this reason, in this work, numerous laboratory tests have been performed using a specific flume test apparatus. A wide range of initial soil conditions (i.e. porosity and water content) has been investigated to analyze the induced effect on failure time and mode, even simulating the presence of preferential flow directions within the soil. Different tests have been performed also reproducing, on a laboratory scale, the landslide event occurred on October 1, 2009, in the area where the testing material was sampled (i.e. Giampilieri, north-eastern Sicily, Italy). Furthermore, the experimental results have been employed to verify the capability of shallow landslide instability prediction (SLIP), a simplified stability model for the prediction of shallow landslide occurrence, to reproduce the triggering process.     

An optimization on machine learning algorithms for mapping snow avalanche susceptibility

Natural Hazards - Mapping avalanche-prone areas to mitigate damages is important and vital for safety and development planning. New hybrid models are introduced for snow avalanche susceptibility...     

浅层滑坡诱发沟谷泥石流的地形和降雨条件

2011年贵州省望谟县打易镇的大范围浅层滑坡诱发的沟谷泥石流提供了研究这类泥石流地形和降雨条件的机会。在地质条件一致和小区域内的降雨条件基本一致的情况下,地形条件就是这些泥石流暴发与否的唯一决定因素。对比一些重要的地形因素与泥石流暴发的关系,得出了由流域面积、沟床纵比降和25°~45°山坡坡度面积比组成的泥石流综合地形因子T。在地形因子T的基础上,研究获得了由前期降雨量、1 h降雨强度、年平均降雨量等组成的降雨因子R。由地形因子T和降雨因子R获得的临界条件P可以判断该区域的泥石流暴发。由于研究工作部分基于泥石流的形成机理,研究成果还可用于其他区域的泥石流形成预测,为泥石流的预测预报提供了一个较好的方法。     

Spatially distributed rainfall thresholds for the initiation of shallow landslides

The evaluation of the combined influence of rainfall patterns (in terms of mean intensity and duration) and the geomorphological and mechanical characteristics of hillslopes on their stability conditions is a major goal in the assessment of the shallow landslide triggering processes. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) represent an important tool to develop models that combine hydrological and geomechanical analyses for the evaluation of slope stability, as they allow to combine information concerning rainfall characteristics with topographic and mechanical properties of the slopes over wide areas. In this paper, a GIS-based code is developed to determine physically based intensity/duration rainfall thresholds at the local scale. Given the rainfall duration and the local geometric, hydrological and mechanical characteristics of the slopes, the code evaluates the spatial distribution of the minimum rainfall intensity that triggers shallow landslides and debris flows over a given area. The key feature of the code is the capability of evaluating the time t _p required to reach the peak pore pressure head on the failure surface and computing the corresponding critical intensity/duration thresholds based on post-event peak pore pressures. The reliability of the model is tested using a set of one-dimensional analyses, comparing the physically based thresholds obtained for three different slopes with some empirical rainfall thresholds. In a log–log scale, the thresholds provided by the model decrease linearly with increased rainfall duration and they are bracketed by the empirical thresholds considered. Finally, an example of application to a study area of the Umbria region in central Italy is presented, describing the capability of the model of providing site-specific thresholds for different rainfall scenarios.     

Using an airborne laser scanner for the identification of shallow landslides and susceptibility assessment in an area of ignimbrite overlain by permeable pyroclastics

An airborne laser scanner can identify shallow landslides even when they are only several meters in diameter and are hidden by vegetation, if the vegetation is coniferous or deciduous trees in a season with fewer leaves. We used an airborne laser scanner to survey an area of the 1998 Fukushima disaster, during which more than 1,000 shallow landslides occurred on slopes of vapor-phase crystallized ignimbrite overlain by permeable pyroclastics. We identified landslides that have occurred at the 1998 event and also previous landslides that were hidden by vegetation. The landslide density of slopes steeper than 20° was 117 landslides/km² before the 1998 disaster. This event increased the density by 233 landslides/km² indicating that this area is highly susceptible to shallow landsliding.     

Landslide susceptibility mapping using hybrid random forest with GeoDetector and RFE for factor optimization

The present study aims to develop two hybrid models to optimize the factors and enhance the predictive ability of the landslide susceptibility models. For this,...     

Numerical modeling of rainstorm-induced shallow landslides in saturated and unsaturated soils

For the assessment of shallow landslides triggered by rainfall, the physically based model coupling the infinite slope stability analysis with the hydrological modeling in nearly saturated soil has commonly been used due to its simplicity. However, in that model the rainfall infiltration in unsaturated soil could not be reliably simulated because a linear diffusion-type Richards’ equation rather than the complete Richards’ equation was used. In addition, the effect of matric suction on the shear strength of soil was not actually considered. Therefore, except the shallow landslide in saturated soil due to groundwater table rise, the shallow landslide induced by the loss in unsaturated shear strength due to the dissipation of matric suction could not be reliably assessed. In this study, a physically based model capable of assessing shallow landslides in variably saturated soils is developed by adopting the complete Richards’ equation with the effect of slope angle in the rainfall infiltration modeling and using the extended Mohr–Coulomb failure criterion to describe the unsaturated shear strength in the soil failure modeling. The influence of rainfall intensity and duration on shallow landslide is investigated using the developed model. The result shows that the rainfall intensity and duration seem to have similar influence on shallow landslides respectively triggered by the increase of positive pore water pressure in saturated soil and induced by the dissipation of matric suction in unsaturated soil. The rainfall duration threshold decreases with the increase in rainfall intensity, but remains constant for large rainfall intensity.     

降雨诱发浅层滑坡稳定性的计算模型研究

我国是一个滑坡灾害频发的国家,众多事实表明：降雨是影响边坡稳定性,导致边坡失稳的最主要和最普遍的环境因素,是浅层滑坡的触发因素。为了更好地对降雨诱发浅层滑坡进行研究,采用非饱和土VG模型与改进的Green-Ampt入渗模型对Mein-Larson降雨入渗模型进行改进,并结合无限边坡提出了一个降雨诱发浅层滑坡的简化计算模型。与以往提出的简化计算模型相比,该模型既考虑了坡面倾斜的影响,又考虑了非饱和土的特性,并可用于两种降雨形式下的边坡浅层稳定性估算,具有更广的应用范围。通过与有限元得到的结果进行比较可得：在不同降雨条件下,该计算模型得到的各项结果与数值解是接近的,安全系数计算结果是偏于安全的,因此,可将该计算模型用于降雨诱发浅层滑坡的近似估算;该计算模型公式简单,便于计算,计算效率较高。     

A time-space based approach for mapping rainfall-induced shallow landslide hazard

A rainfall-induced shallow landslide is a major hazard in mountainous terrain, but a time-space based approach is still an unsettled issue for mapping rainfall-induced shallow landslide hazards. Rain induces a rise of the groundwater level and an increase in pore water pressure that results in slope failures. In this study, an integrated infinite slope analysis model has been developed to evaluate the influence of infiltration on surficial stability of slopes by the limit equilibrium method. Based on this new integrated infinite slope analysis model, a time-space based approach has been implemented to map the distributed landslide hazard in a GIS (Geographic Information Systems) and to evaluate the shallow slope failure induced by a particular rainfall event that accounts for the rainfall intensity and duration. The case study results in a comprehensive time-space landslide hazard map that illustrates the change of the safety factor and the depth of the wetting front over time.