A susceptibility mapping model of earthquake-triggered slope geohazards based on geo-spatial data in mountainous regions

The main purpose of this paper is to develop a susceptibility mapping model of earthquake-trigged slope geohazards based on geo-spatial data in mountainous region. A rapid-response mapping model of slope geohazards triggered by earthquakes that can be widely applied in practice can be constructed by a simple method of weighted superposition of related accessible factors. Based on site investigations into geological disasters in Wenchuan County caused by the Wenchuan earthquake on 12 May 2008, the main influencing factors of the earthquake triggering slope geohazards were studied, including peak ground acceleration (PGA) and 6 geo-spatial data factors: distance from streams, distance from highway, slope gradient, slope position, normalised difference vegetation index (NDVI) and micro-landforms. The order of the relative importance of each factor was determined by regression analysis, then the weight of each factor contributing to slope geohazards was calculated by using the analytic hierarchy process (AHP). The susceptibility mapping model of slope geohazards was derived from the map overlaying principle in ArcGIS platform, and finally, the results were re-classified to obtain the map concerning susceptibility areas of slope geohazards. The results, by comparing the geohazards points with the field survey, proved that over 63% geohazards points were located in high and very high susceptibility areas, while only about 14% geohazards points were located in very low and low susceptibility areas. The model showed a relative agreement between the points on the susceptibility mapping and onsite points of slope geohazards. Above all, predictions about the slope geohazards at meizoseismal areas of earthquakes occurring in mountainous regions can be based on geo-spatial data; so the model could be applied to study other areas which may be prone to the slope geohazards during the earthquakes.