Topographic location and connectivity to channel of earthquake- and rainfall-induced landslides in Loess Plateau area

Abstract The position of landslides on a slope plays a crucial role in determining landslide susceptibility and the likelihood of landslide debris interacting with the fluvial system. Most studies primarily focus on shallow landslides in the bedrock weathering zone or large-scale bedrock landslides,...

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Main Authors: Siyuan Ma, Xiaoyi Shao, Chong Xu, Xiaoli Chen, Renmao Yuan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Nature Portfolio 2025-01-01
Series:Scientific Reports
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-84885-0
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author Siyuan Ma
Xiaoyi Shao
Chong Xu
Xiaoli Chen
Renmao Yuan
author_facet Siyuan Ma
Xiaoyi Shao
Chong Xu
Xiaoli Chen
Renmao Yuan
author_sort Siyuan Ma
collection DOAJ
description Abstract The position of landslides on a slope plays a crucial role in determining landslide susceptibility and the likelihood of landslide debris interacting with the fluvial system. Most studies primarily focus on shallow landslides in the bedrock weathering zone or large-scale bedrock landslides, but the relevant work about the location and connectivity to channels of loess landslides is limited despite their potential to provide insights into slope stability and material transport in loess regions. In this study, we explored differences in landslide location and connectivity to channels between 2013 Mw5.9 Minxian earthquake-induced (EQ) landslides and 2013 Tianshui rainfall-induced (RF) landslides in the Loess Plateau area, China. The result shows that more than 37% of EQ landslides occur in the vicinity of ridges and ~ 30% are concentrated near river channels. Landslide locations of the Minxian earthquake not only occur in ridge crest areas but also exhibit clustering near the channels. We attribute the former cluster to seismic shaking along the ridge crest, and the latter cluster to dynamic changes in pore pressure within saturated lower hillslopes due to nearly a month of rainfall prior to the Minxian earthquake. Compared to EQ landslides, RF landslides are more evenly distributed across slopes. However, due to heavy rainfall and river erosion, landslides are more concentrated in the middle and lower slope areas, especially near the river channels. Moreover, the connectivity of landslides to channels indicates that RF landslides exhibit stronger connectivity with river channels compared to EQ landslides, which may be related to the concentration of EQ landslides near ridge areas. Furthermore, due to the smaller scale of EQ landslides compared to RF landslides, larger landslides are more likely to be located closer to river channels. This may contribute to the lower observed connectivity index between EQ landslides and river channels.
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spelling doaj-art-bfc818b5746f4d48a584445e96f85ee72025-01-05T12:23:30ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222025-01-0115111410.1038/s41598-024-84885-0Topographic location and connectivity to channel of earthquake- and rainfall-induced landslides in Loess Plateau areaSiyuan Ma0Xiaoyi Shao1Chong Xu2Xiaoli Chen3Renmao Yuan4Institute of Geology, China Earthquake AdministrationNational Institute of Natural Hazards, Ministry of Emergency Management of ChinaNational Institute of Natural Hazards, Ministry of Emergency Management of ChinaInstitute of Geology, China Earthquake AdministrationInstitute of Geology, China Earthquake AdministrationAbstract The position of landslides on a slope plays a crucial role in determining landslide susceptibility and the likelihood of landslide debris interacting with the fluvial system. Most studies primarily focus on shallow landslides in the bedrock weathering zone or large-scale bedrock landslides, but the relevant work about the location and connectivity to channels of loess landslides is limited despite their potential to provide insights into slope stability and material transport in loess regions. In this study, we explored differences in landslide location and connectivity to channels between 2013 Mw5.9 Minxian earthquake-induced (EQ) landslides and 2013 Tianshui rainfall-induced (RF) landslides in the Loess Plateau area, China. The result shows that more than 37% of EQ landslides occur in the vicinity of ridges and ~ 30% are concentrated near river channels. Landslide locations of the Minxian earthquake not only occur in ridge crest areas but also exhibit clustering near the channels. We attribute the former cluster to seismic shaking along the ridge crest, and the latter cluster to dynamic changes in pore pressure within saturated lower hillslopes due to nearly a month of rainfall prior to the Minxian earthquake. Compared to EQ landslides, RF landslides are more evenly distributed across slopes. However, due to heavy rainfall and river erosion, landslides are more concentrated in the middle and lower slope areas, especially near the river channels. Moreover, the connectivity of landslides to channels indicates that RF landslides exhibit stronger connectivity with river channels compared to EQ landslides, which may be related to the concentration of EQ landslides near ridge areas. Furthermore, due to the smaller scale of EQ landslides compared to RF landslides, larger landslides are more likely to be located closer to river channels. This may contribute to the lower observed connectivity index between EQ landslides and river channels.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-84885-0Landslide locationTianshui rainfallMinxian earthquakeConnectivity to channelLoess Plateau
spellingShingle Siyuan Ma
Xiaoyi Shao
Chong Xu
Xiaoli Chen
Renmao Yuan
Topographic location and connectivity to channel of earthquake- and rainfall-induced landslides in Loess Plateau area
Scientific Reports
Landslide location
Tianshui rainfall
Minxian earthquake
Connectivity to channel
Loess Plateau
title Topographic location and connectivity to channel of earthquake- and rainfall-induced landslides in Loess Plateau area
title_full Topographic location and connectivity to channel of earthquake- and rainfall-induced landslides in Loess Plateau area
title_fullStr Topographic location and connectivity to channel of earthquake- and rainfall-induced landslides in Loess Plateau area
title_full_unstemmed Topographic location and connectivity to channel of earthquake- and rainfall-induced landslides in Loess Plateau area
title_short Topographic location and connectivity to channel of earthquake- and rainfall-induced landslides in Loess Plateau area
title_sort topographic location and connectivity to channel of earthquake and rainfall induced landslides in loess plateau area
topic Landslide location
Tianshui rainfall
Minxian earthquake
Connectivity to channel
Loess Plateau
url https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-84885-0
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