Landslides triggered by multiple earthquakes: insights from the 2018 Lombok (Indonesia) events

Abstract

Earthquake-triggered landslides significantly contribute to worsening the impact of seismic events; thus, comprehensive landslide inventories are essential for improving seismic hazard assessment. During complex seismic sequences, landslides are triggered by more than one event and the final inventory reflects the spatial and temporal evolution of the sequence. Here, I analyze the landslides triggered by the 2018 Lombok (Indonesia) seismic sequence. I use high-resolution satellite imagery to map 4823 landslides triggered after the 05/08/2018 event (Mw 6.9) and 9319 landslides after the 19/08/2018 event (Mw 6.9). I analyze the distribution and evolution over time of landslide density and landslide area percentage. Despite the significant increase in number and cumulative area of the landslides, the 05/08 and 19/08 events share the maximum dimension of individual landslides; this suggests that the maximum intensity is equal for the two events, i.e., X on the Environmental Scale Intensity scale. I compare the distribution of landslides with macroseismic information provided by eyewitnesses through online questionnaires. Finally, I investigate the role of earthquake environmental effects within seismic sequences, showing that effects on the natural environment provide complementary information with respect to traditional intensity and felt reports.