A Review of 1:10,000 Scale Geological Hazard Risk Investigation and Assessment

Zhouqu County located in the Bailong River Basin of the Longnan Mountain, which is a high geological-hazard-prone area. This paper constructed the index system and evaluation model of geological hazard evaluation at the scale of town in mountainous area by taking Zhouqu County as an example, which carrying out work of geological hazard zoning, vulnerability assessment and risk assessment used by infinite slope model, Flo-2D and ArcGIS software on the basis of analysing geological conditions. The results show that :(1) Together with considering the slope stability and the threat of debris flow utilize the methods of infinite slope model and Flo-2D software and establishing prediction expression of the maximum sliding distance of landslide by using the detailed sample data of 46 locations in the river basin, which effectively improves the accuracy of hazard assessment.(2) The model of vulnerability evaluation eliminates the evaluation indexes with high repeatability, and selects the main property-type disaster bearing bodies for analysis, evaluation and economic accounting, which greatly improves the evaluation efficiency. (3) The risk assessment results can provide reliable technical support for the territorial spatial planning and disaster prevention and reduction of Zhouqu County as well as provide reference for the risk assessment of geological disasters in other towns in Longnan Mountain Area. (4) In addition to rainfall induced by urban geological disasters in mountainous areas of Bailong River Basin, the impact of earthquakes and human engineering activities cannot be ignored. To achieve the goal of high efficiency, rapid and accurate of the model of urban geological hazard risk assessment, it is necessary to conducts in-depth research on dynamic risk assessment technology and methods.

Mountainous areas have become among the most developed areas of geological hazards due to special geological environmental conditions and intensive human engineering activities. Geological hazards are a main threat to urbanization, rural revitalization, and new rural construction in complex mountainous areas. It is of great strategic significance to conduct large-scale geological hazard investigation and risk assessment in urban areas, control the risk of geological hazards at the source and propose risk control measures. In this paper, we established the technical methods of geologic hazard risk assessment and control in complex mountain towns by taking Longlin Town in the mountainous region of Gansu Longnan, China as the study area, with the Quanjia bay debris flows and Panping Village landslides as the typical pilot investigation and assessment. The methods consist of six stages—risk identification, hazard disaster model investigation, risk analysis, vulnerability assessment, risk evaluation and risk management and control measures and proposals. On this basis, the results of geological hazards with different precipitation frequencies (5%, 2%, 1%) are presented. The results show that 75.23% of the regions remained at low risk levels; 24.38% of the regions increased a risk level with decreasing precipitation frequency, and 0.39% of the regions remained at extremely high risk levels under different precipitation frequency conditions. For the Quanjia bay debris flows and Panping Village landslides case, we discussed the geological hazards risk source control contents, management and control technologies, engineering and non-engineering measures of disaster prevention and control for urban disasters and specific disaster areas. This research can provide technical support and reference for disaster prevention and mitigation, and territorial spatial planning.

Geological disasters refer to adverse geological phenomena that occur under the influence of natural or human factors and cause damage to human life and property. Establishing prevention and control zones based on geological disaster risk assessment results in land planning and management is crucial for ensuring safe regional development. In recent years, there has been an increase in extreme rainfall events, so it is necessary to conduct effective geological hazard and risk assessments for different extreme rainfall conditions. Based on the first national geological disaster risk survey results, this paper uses the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) combined with the information method (IM) to construct four extreme rainfall conditions, namely, 10-year, 20-year, 50-year, and 100-year return periods. The susceptibility, hazard, vulnerability, and risk of geological disasters in the Laoshan District in eastern China are evaluated, and prevention and control zones are established based on the evaluation results. The results show that: (1) There are 121 collapse geological disasters in Laoshan District, generally at a low susceptibility level. (2) A positive correlation exists between extreme rainfall and hazards/risks. With the rainfall condition changing from a 10-year return period to a 100-year return period, the proportion of high-hazard zones increased from 20% to 41%, and high-risk zones increased from 31% to 51%, respectively. The Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) proved that the assessment accuracy was acceptable. (3) Key, sub-key, and general prevention zones have been established, and corresponding prevention and control suggestions have been proposed, providing a reference for geological disaster prevention and early warning in other regions.

In order to solve the problem of risk assessment for mountainous geological disaster in southwest of China, we selected Wenchuan county as the study area, where the geological disasters happen frequently. the digital elevation model (DEM), and other geographic data of Wenchuan county were utilized to evaluate the risk of geological disasters. Firstly, the weights of factors for geological hazard susceptibility were identified using analytic hierarchy process (AHP). Secondly, the fuzzy distinguish matrix based on the strength of membership function was established by combining AHP with fuzzy comprehensive evaluation (FCE). Thirdly, the geological hazard risk system was constructed according to the elevation, slope, distance from the river or the fault zone. Finally, we divided the study area into three risk types: high, moderate, and low. Our research results showed that the landslide numbers of high, moderate, and low risk are 11759, 16889, and 6075, respectively, and the corresponding percentages of area in Wenchuan county are 34%, 49%, 17%, respectively. Our results were in line with the historical disaster data. Therefore, the governments should pay more attentions to the geological disasters of these towns.

Geological hazards pose significant threats to ecological stability, human lives, and infrastructure, necessitating precise and robust risk assessment methodologies. This study evaluates geological hazard risks in Dawukou District, Shizuishan City, Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, using the information value (IV) model. The study systematically identifies susceptibility, hazard, and vulnerability factors influencing geological disaster risks by integrating diverse datasets encompassing geological conditions, meteorological parameters, and anthropogenic activities. The key findings reveal that hilly landforms, slope gradients, and vegetation indices are the dominant contributors to hazard development. Additional factors, including lithology, fault proximity, and precipitation, were also found to play critical roles. The results categorize the district into four risk zones: high-risk areas (1.55% of the total area), moderate-risk areas (10.16%), Low-risk areas (23.32%), and very-low-risk areas (64.97%). These zones exhibit a strong spatial correlation with geomorphic features, tectonic activity, and human engineering interventions, such as mining and infrastructure development. High-risk zones are concentrated near mining regions and fault lines with steep slopes, while low-risk zones are predominantly in flat plains and urban centers. The reliability of the risk assessment was validated through cross-referenced geological hazard occurrence data and Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis, achieving a high predictive accuracy (AUC = 0.88). The study provides actionable insights for disaster prevention, mitigation strategies, and urban planning, offering a scientific basis for resource allocation and sustainable development. The methodology and findings serve as a replicable framework for geological hazard risk assessments in similar regions facing diverse environmental and anthropogenic challenges.

This study takes the risk assessment of geological disasters in Changji City as the research object. By reviewing the detailed investigation report and risk survey documents of 1:50000 geological disasters in Changji City, along with the annual verification, investigation, and exploration results of major hidden danger points, we collected and organized the necessary data for the assessment and integrated multidisciplinary knowledge such as geology, GIS technology, and statistics. The study aims to identify the inducing factors, development characteristics, and distribution law of geological disasters in the area, thereby determining the risk assessment factors. To ascertain the weight of these factors, we employed an evidence weight model and a machine learning method. The vulnerability assessment, incorporating existing basic data and vulnerability factors such as population density, building density, and road density, was conducted using fuzzy mathematics for Changji City. Finally, the risk assessment used the ArcGIS analysis function to calculate the risk and vulnerability assessment results. Through ArcGIS, we superimposed the risk grade and vulnerability grade of geological disasters on a grid, ultimately obtaining the risk assessment results for the study area.

The paper herein selects nine disaster risk factors to build an evaluation index system by means of the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (FAHP). Based on ArcGIS software, the risk assessment and regionalization of geological disasters in Qinling-Daba mountain area in Shaanxi province are carried out while the geological disaster points are used for verification. The results show that: 1) The conditions to trigger geological disasters in Qinling-Daba mountain area of Shaanxi are the slope 15°∼45°, topographic relief degree more than 200m, perennial average rainfall about 950mm∼1200mm, vegetation coverage less than 60%, distance from river network less than 2km, distance from fault less than 4km and the density of seismic points about 0.15-1.36/100 km2. 2) The risk levels of geological disasters in Qinling-Daba mountain area of Shaanxi province are divided into several grades as extremely low risk area, low risk area, medium risk area, high risk area and extremely high-risk area, accounting for 8.63%, 14.56%, 31.56%, 31.91% and 13.34% of the area respectively. 3) Relevant verification shows that the risk zoning accuracy is high, which can provide a scientific basis for disaster prevention and reduction in Qinling-Daba mountain area of Shaanxi province.

Risk assessment of geological hazard is the study of damage degree of human life and property affected by the geological disaster. It is of great importance for reducing harm level of geological hazard fatalness, preventing and controlling of geological disaster. As an example in Wudu area of Longnan City, we choose topography, lithology, meteorology, hydrology and human activity as the hazard assessment factors, on the basis of detailed investigation of geological conditions in study area. Then, adding the importance of the residents activity area as a risk assessment factor, we have finished the geological hazard assessment and its risk assessment by GIS combined with AHP. The result shows that the proportions of geological hazard risk of non-risk, low-risk, medium-risk and high-risk area are respectively 31%, 14%, 25% and 30%.

Geological disaster risk assessment is a process, which indicates a quantitative description of the occurrence probability of geological hazard and the extent of the harm to human society. The degree of geological disaster risk mainly depends on the dynamic conditions of geological disaster activities and the human social economic vulnerability. With the transformation of contribution rate and weight, contribution rate methods obtain the intra-weight and inter-weight of assessment factors from the contributing weight model. The geological disaster risk zoning can be achieved by integrating the results of vulnerability and hazard which results from composing the two weights and index value. Taking the landslide disaster risk assessment in Wenchuan County as an example, formation lithology, elevation, topographic relief, slope aspect, slope gradient, profile curvature, and plane curvature were selected as the landslide disaster hazard assessment factors, meanwhile population density, forest density, cultivated density, landslide disaster density, residential density and road network density were selected as the landslide disaster vulnerability assessment factors. This paper discusses the regional landslide risk assessment theory and method based on contributing weight model. It is revealed that areas of high, medium, and low risks are respectively 2.39%, 15.82%, and 81.79% of the entire research area.

Aging characteristics and triggering mechanisms of geological disasters were analyzed to clarify the characteristics of geological disasters in loess areas, develop a geological disaster risk assessment system, and improve risk management of geological disaster. Risk periods of geological disaster were classified on the basis of disaster type, and a time-space coupling mechanism was applied to manage geological disasters dynamically. The risk period analysis was applied to risk assessment of geological disaster in Yaozhou District, Tongchuan City, Shaanxi Province. The risk period analysis may add a new element and promote improvements to practical applications of risk assessment system of geological disaster. According to this research results, new requirements for long-term supervision of farming activities and recommendations for an approval system for construction projects are suggested. In addition, geological disaster insurance product development is proposed.

Mining excavation is often the main cause of geological disasters in people’s construction activities. The geological disasters have the characteristics of large destruction, wide range of harm, and large loss. In particular, the collapse and slide geological disasters caused by underground mining are particularly prominent, and they have triggered a number of major natural disaster events. Therefore, it is particularly important to assess the exposure to geological hazards in mines. The purpose of this article is to study and analyze the assessment and management of the risk of geological hazards in mines based on multisensor data integration. This paper first introduces the process of multisource information fusion, and in the process of information fusion, the sensor needs to collect signals first, then preprocesses the signals provided by the sensor, and then analyzes the fusion process of D-S evidence theory algorithm and BP neural network algorithm in multisensor. Finally, the deformers in the study area are investigated by multisensor data integration techniques, the deformation and damage features of the deformers in the study area are evaluated, and the risk assessment and vulnerability evaluation of the key slopes are carried out. The experimental results of this paper show that according to the statistics of the distribution of slope disaster points, the geological disasters are mainly concentrated in 10–25°, a total of 361, accounting for 58.1% of the total disaster points. From the point density distribution, geological disasters are most concentrated at 20–30°, and the point density is 35 places/100 km2. The results show that in areas with large slope and height difference, it is easy to form air surface, deformation, and damage, resulting in geological disasters.

During the design and implementation of underground constructions, the risk assessment and management of geological hazards are important due to the hazards such as the water inflow, collision with crushed fault zones, squeezing and instability around excavation zones. In the present research, it is attempted to study and assess the risk of geological hazards in 378+021 km of the route of Ardabil-Mianeh railway tunnel using the harmony search algorithm (HSA). In the first section of research, after studying structural and geological characteristics during 24 sections of the excavation route, the risk relating to geological hazards including the tunnel instability, squeezing, water inflow and swelling was assessed in three separate classes using HSA. In order to study the accuracy of results, geological hazards recorded during the implementation of excavation operations were used. Studies obtained from the comparison of observed and predicted results indicate the high accuracy of HSA in the assessment and prediction of geological risks in the tunnelling project.

Oil and gas pipelines are part of long-distance transportation projects which pass through areas with complex geological conditions and which are prone to geological disasters. Geological disasters significantly affect the safety of pipeline operations. Therefore, it is essential to conduct geological disaster risk assessments in areas along pipelines to ensure efficient pipeline operation, and to provide theoretical support for early warning and forecasting of geological disasters. In this study, the pipeline routes of the Sichuan-Chongqing and Western Hubei management offices of the Sichuan-East Gas Transmission Project were studied. Seven topographic factors—surface elevation, topographic slope, topographic aspect, plane curvature, stratum lithology, rainfall, and vegetation coverage index—were superimposed using the laying method with a total of eight evaluation indicators. The quantitative relationships between the factors and geological disasters were obtained using the geographic information system (GIS) and weight of evidence (WOE). The backpropagation neural network (BP) was optimised using a genetic algorithm (GA) to obtain the weight of each evaluation index. The quantified index was then utilized to identify the geological hazard risk zone along the pipeline. The results showed that the laying method, stratum lithology, and normalised difference vegetation index were the factors influencing hazards.

Gravity-driven mass flows are typically large-scale complex multi-phase phenomena involving multiple interacting phases. Various types of mass flows usually exhibit distinct behaviors in their formation, propagation and deposition. In such large-scale geological systems, many uncertainties may arise from the variations in material composition and phase behavior. The present study aims to investigate the important characteristics of some common types of mass flows including debris flows, mudflows and earth flows, based on a recently developed multi-phase computational framework, r.avaflow for flow simulation. Fractions of different phases are varied to reflect different characteristics of material composition of various mass flows and simulate the resulting flow behavior. The evolution of the critical entities during the flow motion, such as velocity, peak discharge, flow height, kinetic energy, run-out distance and deposition is examined; considerable differences among various flows are identified and discussed. Overall, the simulated mudflow cases develop higher velocity, peak discharge, kinetic energy, and longer run-out distance than the debris flow cases. The fluid fraction has a significant influence on the flow dynamics; a higher fluid fraction often leads to higher velocities and long run-out distances, but lower kinetic energy, and it also affects the final deposition and deposition pattern considerably. The present study shows promising potential of a quantitative approach to the physics and mechanics of mass flows that may assist in the risk assessment of such large-scale destructive geological hazards or disasters.

Qinglong Gorge Scenic Area (QGSA) boasts stunning natural landscapes, characterized by towering peaks and extensive cliffs. Nevertheless, the intricate geological backdrop and distinctive topographical conditions of this area give rise to various geological disasters, posing a substantial safety concern for tourists and presenting ongoing operational and safety management challenges for the scenic area. In light of these challenges, this study placed its focus on the geological disasters within QGSA and sought to assess risks across various scales. The assessment was accomplished through a combination of methods, including field surveys conducted in 2022, remote sensing interpretation, and comprehensive data collection and organization. For the geological disaster risk assessment of the scenic area, this research selected seven key indicators, encompassing terrain factors, geological elements, structural characteristics, and other relevant factors. The assessment utilized a logistic regression model, which yielded satisfactory results with an AUC value of 0.8338. Furthermore, a model was constructed incorporating seven indicators, encompassing factors such as population vulnerability, material susceptibility, and the vulnerability of tourism resources. To assess vulnerability to geological disasters, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was employed, resulting in a CR of 0, thus ensuring the reliability of the findings. The outcomes of the risk assessment indicate that the low-risk area covers a substantial expanse of 5.45 km2, representing 53.66% of the total area. The moderate-risk area extends over 3.59 km2, constituting 35.43%, while the high-risk area encompasses 0.72 km2, accounting for 7.14%. Additionally, the very high-risk area encompasses 0.38 km2, making up 3.77% of the total area. Consequently, building upon the findings of the risk assessment, this paper introduces a risk classification and control prevention system. This system provides invaluable insights for disaster prevention and control in mountainous and canyon-type scenic areas.