Analysis of a spatial distribution of landslides triggered by the 2004 Chuetsu earthquakes of Niigata Prefecture, Japan |
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| Authors: | H B Wang K Sassa and W Y Xu |
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| Institution: | (1) School of Civil Engineering and Mechanics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, P. R. China;(2) Disaster Prevention Research Institute, Kyoto University, Gokasho, Uji, Kyoto 611-0011, Japan;(3) Geotechnical Research Institute, Hohai University, No.1 Xikang Road, Nanjing, 210098, P. R. China |
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| Abstract: | On October 23, 2004, a series of powerful earthquakes with a maximum M
w = 6.6 located near the western coast of northern Honshu struck parts of northern Japan, particularly Niigata Prefecture;
these earthquakes were known as the Chuetsu event. Thousands of landslides, as a secondary geotechnical hazard associated
with these earthquakes, were triggered over a broad area; these landslides were of almost all types. The purpose of this study
was to detect correlations between landslide occurrence with geologic and geomorphologic conditions, slope geometry, and earthquake
parameters using two indexes based on Geographic Information Systems (GIS). In the study area, the landslide–area ratio (LAR),
which is defined as the percentage of the area affected by landslides, was 2.9%, and the landslide concentration (LC), the
number of landslides per square kilometer, was 4.4 landslides/km2, which is much more than other reported cases of seismic activity with the same magnitude. This was possibly due to heavy
rainfall just before the Chuetsu earthquakes. Statistical analyses show that LAR has a positive correlation with slope steepness
and distance from the epicenter, while LC is inversely correlated with distance from the epicenter. The Wanazu Formation had
the most concentrated landslide activity, followed by the Kawaguchi, Ushigakubi, Shiroiwa and Oyama Formations, although the
Wanazu Formation occupied only 4.5% of the total area of geological units. With 8.2% of the area affected by seismic landslides,
the Kawaguchi Formation had the highest LAR. It was followed by the Shiroiwa, Ushigakubi and Wanazu Formations with LAR ranging
from 4.6% to 6.0%. For lots of geological subunits, landslides are more frequent in a range of slope angles between 15° and
40°. The susceptibility to landsliding of each geologic unit was thus evaluated to correlate with slope steepness. It was
also noted that the effects of the earthquakes were made far worse by antecedent rainfall conditions induced by a␣typhoon,
and further research emphasizing the role of antecedent rainfall was discussed. |
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| Keywords: | Chuetsu earthquakes Seismic landslides Statistical analysis Geographic Information Systems (GIS) |
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