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Landslide velocity, thickness, and rheology from remote sensing: La Clapière landslide, France
Author(s) -
Booth Adam M.,
Lamb Michael P.,
Avouac JeanPhilippe,
Delacourt Christophe
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1002/grl.50828
Subject(s) - landslide , geology , bedrock , rheology , deformation (meteorology) , remote sensing , geomorphology , surface roughness , surface finish , geotechnical engineering , geodesy , seismology , materials science , oceanography , composite material
Quantifying the velocity, volume, and rheology of deep, slow‐moving landslides is essential for hazard prediction and understanding landscape evolution, but existing field‐based methods are difficult or impossible to implement at remote sites. Here we present a novel and widely applicable method for constraining landslide 3‐D deformation and thickness by inverting surface change data from repeat stereo imagery. Our analysis of La Clapière, an ~1 km 2 bedrock landslide, reveals a concave‐up failure surface with considerable roughness over length scales of tens of meters. Calibrating the thickness model with independent, local thickness measurements, we find a maximum thickness of 163 m and a rheology consistent with distributed deformation of the highly fractured landslide material, rather than sliding of an intact, rigid block. The technique is generally applicable to any mass movements that can be monitored by active or historic remote sensing.