Landslide-susceptibility mapping in a semi-arid mountain environment: an example from the southern slopes of Sierra Nevada (Granada, Spain)

Landslide susceptibility is analysed in a semi-arid mountain environment, on the southern slope of Sierra Nevada. In a study area of 460 km2, 252 landslides were inventoried, affecting 3.2% of the total surface area. These landslides were mainly slides and flows on phyllite, schist and marble units in the Inner Zone of the Betic Cordillera. The most relevant determining factors proved to be elevation, slope angle, slope aspect and lithology. Triggering factors include mainly short-term landslide generation during heavy rainfall, as well as sporadic earthquakes or long-term activation by land-use changes, river over-excavation, etc. Although landslide susceptibility, assessed by the GIS matrix method, is predominantly low, some 15% of the study area shows moderate to very high susceptibility, coinciding with the sites of public works in the region. The map drawn was validated by the degree-of-fit method, registering values above 83.2% for the zones of high and very high susceptibility.RésuméLa sensibilité aux glissements est analysée dans un environnement montagneux semi-aride, sur les versants sud de la Sierra Nevada. Sur un secteur d’étude de 460 km2, 252 glissements de terrain ont été répertoriés, affectant 3,2% de la surface totale du secteur étudié. Ces glissements de terrain étaient principalement des glissements et des coulées au sein d’unités de phyllites, de schistes et de marbres dans la zone interne de la cordillère bétique. Les facteurs de prédisposition les plus significatifs étaient l’altitude, la pente topographique, la morphologie des pentes et la lithologie. Les facteurs de déclenchement comportaient, pour la génération à court terme de glissements, les fortes pluies ainsi que des séismes sporadiques et, pour les générations sur le long terme, les modifications dans l’usage du sol, le surcreusement des rivières, etc. Bien que la sensibilité aux glissements, évaluée par une méthode matricielle basée sur un système SIG, soit principalement faible, environ 15% du secteur d’étude présente une sensibilité modérée à très forte, coïncidant avec les zones de travaux publics dans la région. La carte dessinée a été validée par une méthode de degré d’ajustement, enregistrant des valeurs supérieures à 83,2% pour les zones de forte à très forte sensibilité.

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