Quantitative Monitoring of Geological Hazards With CORS Network Data and Load Impact Change: A Case Study in Zhejiang, China

Abstract

Geological hazard monitoring plays a pivotal role in preventing geological hazards. The main challenge faced by many experiments is to quantitatively monitor and analyze geological hazards. This paper proposes a quantitative monitoring indicator, called the ground surface stability anomaly (GSSA), for the first time and gives the identification criterion of the GSSA based on three stability factors. The features of the three stability factors, including geodetic height, ground gravity, and vertical deviation, reflect the relationship between load-induced changes and geological hazards. To verify the effectiveness and applicability of the GSSA quantitative monitoring method, a regional GSSA model was constructed based on the continuously operating reference station (CORS) network data and load impact data in southeastern Zhejiang, China. The larger the value of the GSSA is, the more likely geological hazards are to occur, especially when an abnormal dynamic environment (such as heavy rainfall, sea level anomaly, atmospheric pressure anomaly, or spring tide) is encountered. By comparing the GSSA with the potential trouble points of geological hazards and 40 geological hazard events that have occurred, the results show that the method can quantitatively, accurately, and continuously monitor the GSSA in an area covered by the CORS network, and the method has the ability to capture the precursors to geological hazards.