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Investigating slow-moving landslides in the Zhouqu region of China using InSAR time series

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Abstract

In the Zhouqu region (Gansu, China), landslide distribution and activity exploits geological weaknesses in the fault-controlled belt of low-grade metamorphic rocks of the Bailong valley and severely impacts lives and livelihoods in this region. Landslides reactivated by the Wenchuan 2008 earthquake and debris flows triggered by rainfall, such as the 2010 Zhouqu debris flow, have caused more than 1700 casualties and estimated economic losses of some US$0.4 billion. Earthflows presently cover some 79% of the total landslide area and have exerted a strong influence on landscape dynamics and evolution in this region. In this study, we use multi-temporal Advanced Land Observing Satellite and Phased Array type L-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (ALOS PALSAR) data and time series interferometric synthetic aperture radar to investigate slow-moving landslides in a mountainous region with steep topography for the period December 2007–August 2010 using the Small Baseline Subsets (SBAS) technique. This enabled the identification of 11 active earthflows, 19 active landslides with deformation rates exceeding 100 mm/year and 20 new instabilities added into the pre-existing landslide inventory map. The activity of these earthflows and landslides exhibits seasonal variations and accelerated deformation following the Wenchuan earthquake. Time series analysis of the Suoertou earthflow reveals that seasonal velocity changes are characterized by comparatively rapid acceleration and gradual deceleration with distinct kinematic zones with different mean velocities, although velocity changes appear to occur synchronously along the landslide body over seasonal timescales. The observations suggest that the post-seismic effects (acceleration period) on landslide deformation last some 6–7 months.

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Acknowledgements

The ALOS PLSAR images were provided by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA). The authors would like to acknowledge V. Banks from BGS for her valuable suggestions to improve the quality of the paper. Colm Jordan, Tom Dijkstra, and Alessandro Novellino publish with permission from the Executive Director of the British Geological Survey, funded by the BGS-NERC ODA Programme.

Funding

This study was supported by the Key Technology Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Gansu Province, China (Grant No. 1604FKCA098), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 41661144046), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC41702292). This research builds upon initial funding from an Urgency Grant awarded by the Natural Environment Research Council (UK; NE/I016279) and support from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC 41040005; NSFC41021091).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. MOE Key Laboratory of Western China’s Environmental Systems, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, People’s Republic of China

    Yi Zhang, Xingmin Meng & Guan Chen

  2. Gansu Environmental Geology and Geohazards Engineering Research Centre, College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, People’s Republic of China

    Yi Zhang, Xingmin Meng & Guan Chen

  3. British Geological Survey, Nottingham, NG12 5GG, UK

    Colm Jordan, Alessandro Novellino & Tom Dijkstra

  4. School of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering, Loughborough University, Loughborough, LE11 3TU, UK

    Tom Dijkstra

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  1. Yi Zhang
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Correspondence to Xingmin Meng.

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Zhang, Y., Meng, X., Jordan, C. et al. Investigating slow-moving landslides in the Zhouqu region of China using InSAR time series. Landslides 15, 1299–1315 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-018-0954-8

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