- Zhang Yi ORCID:orcid.org/0000-0003-3215-71871,2,
- Meng Xingmin1,2,
- Novellino Allesandro4,
- Dijkstra Tom5,
- Chen Guan1,2,
- Jordan Colm4,
- Li Yuanxi2 &
- …
- Su Xiaojun3
1827Accesses
3Altmetric
Abstract
At 6pm on July 19, 2019, the Yahuokou earthflow (Zhouqu County, Gansu Province, China) was reactivated following a period of intense rainfall. A volume of approximately 3.9 × 106 m3 travelled approximately 1100 m in 27 days, blocking part of the Min River. Multi-temporal InSAR monitoring and interpretation of high-resolution optical images were used to map different phase of mass movements (including rock fall, topple, slide, and flowslide) to characterize the pre-failure deformation of the earthflow. Analysis of displacement patterns indicates that initiation of the earthflow is closely correlated with road construction, intense and long-lasting rainfall (443 mm from April 1, to July 19, 2019), and seismic activity. The potential to forecast the time of failure based on pre-failure deformation patterns observed by InSAR monitoring is demonstrated. Three types of pre-failure deformation are distinguished: steady creep, fluctuating creep, and accelerating creep. The monitoring process enabled identification and characterization of three key stages of the earthflow (initiation, transportation, and accumulation/deposition) providing important lessons learned for improvement of landslide early warning and hazard assessment in similar geological and geomorphological settings.
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Acknowledgements
The Sentinel 1 images and precise orbits were provided by the European Space Agency. We thank NASA for providing the SRTM1 DEM data and J. Wasowski (Italian National Research Council) for providing COSMO-SkyMed deformation results in Zhouqu. A. Novellino and C. Jordan publish with permission of the Executive Director, BGS, with support from the BGS ODA Programme (NC-ODA grant NE/R000069/1: Geoscience for Sustainable Futures).
Funding
This study was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (Grant Nos. 2017YFC1501005), the National Natural Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scientists of China (Grant No. 42007232), the Natural Science Foundation for Young Scientists of Gansu Province (Grant No. 20JR5RA223), the Science and Technology Project of Gansu Province (Grant No. 18JR2JA006, 19ZD2FA002), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant No. lzujbky-2021-ey05).
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Authors and Affiliations
MOE Key Laboratory of Western China’s Environmental Systems, School of Earth Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, People’s Republic of China
Zhang Yi, Meng Xingmin & Chen Guan
Technology & Innovation Centre for Environmental Geology and Geohazards Prevention, School of Earth Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, People’s Republic of China
Zhang Yi, Meng Xingmin, Chen Guan & Li Yuanxi
College of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, 730000, People’s Republic of China
Su Xiaojun
British Geological Survey, Nottingham, NG12 5GG, UK
Novellino Allesandro & Jordan Colm
School of Architecture, Building and Civil Engineering, Loughborough University, Loughborough, LE11 3TU, UK
Dijkstra Tom
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Yi, Z., Xingmin, M., Allesandro, N.et al. Characterization of pre-failure deformation and evolution of a large earthflow using InSAR monitoring and optical image interpretation.Landslides19, 35–50 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-021-01744-z
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