Abstract
Abstract. This paper presents an automated landform classification in a rockfall-prone area. Digital terrain models (DTMs) and a geomorphological inventory of rockfall deposits were the basis of landform classification analysis. Several data layers produced solely from DTMs were slope, plan curvature, stream power index, and shape complexity index; whereas layers produced from DTMs and rockfall modeling were velocity and energy. Unsupervised fuzzy k means was applied to classify the generic landforms into seven classes: interfluve, convex creep slope, fall face, transportational middle slope, colluvial foot slope, lower slope and channel bed. We draped the generic landforms over DTMs and derived a power-law statistical relationship between the volume of the rockfall deposits and number of events associated with different landforms. Cumulative probability density was adopted to estimate the probability density of rockfall volume in four generic landforms, i.e., fall face, transportational middle slope, colluvial foot slope and lower slope. It shows negative power laws with exponents 0.58, 0.73, 0.68, and 0.64 for fall face, transportational middle slope, colluvial foot slope and lower slope, respectively. Different values of the scaling exponents in each landform reflect that geomorphometry influences the volume statistics of rockfall. The methodology introduced in this paper has possibility to be used for preliminary rockfall risk analyses; it reveals that the potential high risk is located in the transportational middle slope and colluvial foot slope.
Highlights
In attempts to study and understand landforms, people have tried to map and document landform features since a long time ago. Summerfield (1991) explained that the first attempts of humans to document landforms started in the age of Herodotus (5th century BC) and Aristotle (384–322 BC)
Topography is mapped as contour lines or Digital terrain models (DTMs)
Geomorphometry defined as quantitative landform analysis (Pike et al, 2008) was initially applied for the assessment and mitigation of natural hazards (Pike, 1988)
Summary
In attempts to study and understand landforms, people have tried to map and document landform features since a long time ago. Summerfield (1991) explained that the first attempts of humans to document landforms started in the age of Herodotus (5th century BC) and Aristotle (384–322 BC). Summerfield (1991) explained that the first attempts of humans to document landforms started in the age of Herodotus (5th century BC) and Aristotle (384–322 BC). In attempts to study and understand landforms, people have tried to map and document landform features since a long time ago. It was described in a simple way. In the early stage of mapping, such features of topography were drawn by the hachure method (Gustavsson, 2005). Topography is mapped as contour lines or DTMs (digital terrain models). Topographic maps and DTMs are very important for landform classification and geomorphological mapping
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