Statistical evaluation of the effect of earthquake with other related factors on landslide susceptibility: using the watershed area of Shihmen reservoir in Taiwan as a case study

Abstract

Landslide susceptibility evaluation is one of the most important issues in watershed management. After an earthquake, the landslide susceptibility decreases functionally with increases in the distance from the epicenter. Under the same rainfall intensity, landslides are more likely to occur in an area where earthquakes occur more frequently. However, the questions of how much an earthquake should be weighted and how to evaluate the effects of an earthquake still need to be studied. To understand how earthquakes affect rainfall-triggered landslides, the horizontal peak ground acceleration (PGA) data from the Central Weather Bureau Seismic Network is used as the earthquake factor and combined with other factors to determine the weight of earthquakes in landslide susceptibility using logistic regression. The results indicate that the ability of landslide prediction is better when considering the earthquake factor. This study also proved that although there are no co-seismic landslides (after earthquakes) in the study area, the earthquake factor is still required to increase the model accuracy. PGA has been described as a usable factor. In areas with frequent earthquakes and high geological activity, when using historical data to evaluate landslide susceptibility, the earthquake factor should be taken into consideration to prevent errors.