Postearthquake Landslides Mapping From Landsat-8 Data for the 2015 Nepal Earthquake Using a Pixel-Based Change Detection Method

Abstract

The 2015 Nepal earthquake and its aftershocks not only caused huge damage with severe loss of life and property, also induced many geohazards with the major type of landslide which should bring continuous threats to the affected region. To gain a better understanding of the landslides induced by this earthquake, we proposed a pixel-based change detection method for postearthquake landslide mapping by using bitemporal Landsat-8 remote sensing data [May 29, 2014 (pre-earthquake) and June 1, 2015 (postearthquake)]. Two river valleys (Trishuli river valley and Sun Koshi river valley) that contain important economic arteries linking Nepal and China were selected as the study areas. Validation of the mapping results with postearthquake high-resolution images from Google Earth shows that the pixel-based landslide mapping method is able to identify landslides with relatively high accuracy, and it also approves the applicability of Landsat-8 satellite for landslide mapping with its multispectral information. The spatial distribution analysis indicates that both river valleys are substantially affected by landslides, and the situation is even more serious in the high mountain areas. Landslides are generally found in areas of high elevation and large surface slopes, with mean values above 1600 m and 30°, respectively. These findings suggest that these areas suffer greatly from these geohazards, and the threat will continue for the next few years.