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Emergency assessment of seismic landslide susceptibility: a case study of the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake affected area

Tang Chuan, Zhu Jing and Liang Jingtao

State Key Laboratory of Geo-Hazard Prevention, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu 610059, China

Abstract: The 8.0 Mw Wenchuan earthquake triggered widespread and large scale landslides in mountainous regions. An approach was used to map and assess landslide susceptibility in a given area. A numerical rating system was applied to five factors that contribute to slope instability. Factors such as lithology, topography, streams and faults have an important influence as event-controlling factors for landslide susceptibility assessment. A final map is provided to show areas of low, medium, and high landslide susceptibility. Areas identified as having high landslide susceptibility were located in the central, northeastern, and far south regions of the study area. The assessment results will help decision makers to select safe sites for emergency placement of refuges and plan for future reconstruction. The maps may also be used as a basis for landslide risk management in the study area.

Keywords: landslide; susceptibility; GIS; Wenchuan earthquake; Qingchuan area

Copyright© 2009 IEM. Journal of Earthquake Engineering and Engineering Vibration. All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or otherwise, except as described below, without written permission from the Publisher. Copying of articles is not permitted except for personal and internal use, to the extent permitted by national copyright law, or under the terms of a license issued by the National Reproduction Rights Organization of China.