Abstract
Landslides are one of the most damaging geological hazards in mountainous regions such as the Himalayas. The Himalayan region is, tectonically, the most active region in the world that is highly vulnerable to landslides and associated hazards. Landslide susceptibility mapping (LSM) is a useful tool for understanding the probability of the spatial distribution of future landslide regions. In this research, the landslide inventory datasets were collected during the field study of the Kullu valley in July 2018, and 149 landslide locations were collected as global positioning system (GPS) points. The present study evaluates the LSM using three different spatial resolution of the digital elevation model (DEM) derived from three different sources. The data-driven traditional frequency ratio (FR) model was used for this study. The FR model was used for this research to assess the impact of the different spatial resolution of DEMs on the LSM. DEM data was derived from Advanced Land Observing Satellite-1 (ALOS) Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) ALOS-PALSAR for 12.5 m, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) Global for 30 m, and the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) for 90 m. As an input, we used eight landslide conditioning factors based on the study area and topographic features of the Kullu valley in the Himalayas. The ASTER-Global 30m DEM showed higher accuracy of 0.910 compared to 0.839 for 12.5 m and 0.824 for 90 m DEM resolution. This study shows that that 30 m resolution is better suited for LSM for the Kullu valley region in the Himalayas. The LSM can be used for mitigation and future planning for spatial planners and developmental authorities in the region.
Highlights
Landslides are one of the most significant geological hazards in mountainous regions all over the world and especially in the Himalayas, where landslides affect the lives of people through damage to property and loss of life [1,2]
The present study evaluates the Landslide susceptibility mapping (LSM) using three different spatial resolution of the digital elevation model (DEM) derived from three different sources
Three different DEM with varying spatial resolution was used for the research that is open and freely available, namely the Advanced Land Observing Satellite-1 (ALOS), the Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (PALSAR) ALOS-PALSAR for 12.5 m, the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) Global for 30 m, and the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) for 90 m for the Kullu valley
Summary
Landslides are one of the most significant geological hazards in mountainous regions all over the world and especially in the Himalayas, where landslides affect the lives of people through damage to property and loss of life [1,2]. One of the most geodynamically active domains is the Himalayas, which is highly susceptible to landslides and other natural hazards [3]. The Himalayan orogeny that is tectonically the most dynamic mountainous region across the globe is highly vulnerable to landslides and, its associated hazards. The Kullu valley is highly prone to natural hazards, especially landslides in the Himalayas, causing significant damages to the economy [5]. The Kullu valley is a popular tourist destination known for landslides and landslides in 1995 caused the death of sixty-five people and destroyed the Kullu town.
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