Detecting the slope movement after the 2018 Baige Landslides based on ground-based and space-borne radar observations

Abstract

On Oct. 11 and Nov. 3, 2018, two large-scale landslides occurred in the same location in Baige Village, Tibet, and massive rocks fell and encroached into the Jingsha River. These landslides posed a severe risk to the upstream and downstream areas. The occurrence, development and evolution of landslides are accompanied by a large number of changes in measurable variables. The deformation data are one of most important parameters for characterizing change and development trends of a landslide. This paper is centered on the results derived from ground-based radar and space-borne Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images in the post-event phase to monitor the Baige landslides and to assess their residual risk. Two technologies play important roles in identifying and characterizing impending catastrophic slope failures: ground-based radar reveals the horizontal deformation, and satellite SAR images reveal the azimuth and range offset deformation. By combining satellite and ground-based SAR observations, we obtained high-precision three-dimensional (3D) deformation results and found that the vast majority of the instability regions mainly occur in the source area of the slope failures and that the direction of collapse converges from all sides to the middle. Additional information from UAV orthophoto maps and GNSS measurements also reveal that several cracks are distributed on the trailing edge of the landslide and are still moving. The comprehensive results revealed that the moving rock mass has still been remarkably active after the two landslide events. This study combined ground-based and space-borne SAR data to develop a long-term monitoring and stability evaluation process for implementation after a large landslide disaster. Based on the distribution characteristics of the 3D deformation fields, the present and future stability of the Baige Landslide was analyzed.