Detection and characterization of slow-moving landslides in the 2017 Jiuzhaigou earthquake area by combining satellite SAR observations and airborne Lidar DSM

Abstract

On 8th August 2017, a catastrophic Ms. 7.0 earthquake with a focal depth of 20 km struck the Jiuzhaigou County in Sichuan Province, China. It exerted a strong influence on the slope stability within the surrounding areas and triggered numerous secondary geohazards including rockfalls and other co-seismic landslides, which incurred drastic surface changes, and thus can be easily identified from cloud-free high-resolution optical imagery. Most of such landslides became stabilized shortly after the earthquake while others moving very slowly for years. In contrast, some slopes were destabilized without significant surface change into slow-moving landslides, which may pose long-term potential threats to people's life and property. Therefore, it is crucial to accurately identify these slow-moving landslides and regularly monitor their post-seismic activity. In this study, we employed the synthetic aperture radar interferometry (InSAR) techniques to detect and monitor slow-moving landslides after the earthquake in the Jiuzhaigou area, and analyzed the impacts of the earthquake on these landslides through integration of multi-source data (InSAR, Lidar, optical image, and field survey). As a result, 16 slow-moving landslides were detected by InSAR in the Jiuzhaigou area, including several historical landslides. The results of time-series InSAR analyses enabled identification of three kinds of landslide evolution modes affected by the earthquake, i.e. acceleration of deformation of pre-existing landslides, reactivation of dormant landslide, and remobilization of earthquake-triggered landslide. Each mode is supported by detailed analyses of multi-source data. The results demonstrated that satellite InSAR combined with high-resolution Lidar and optical data can provide a cost-effective approach of post-earthquake geohazards detection and monitoring.