Identifying Colluvial Slopes by Airborne LiDAR Analysis

Abstract:

Colluvial slopes are one of major sources of landslides. Identifying the locations of the slopes will help reduce the risk of disasters, by avoiding building infrastructure and properties nearby, or if they are already there, by applying appropriate counter measures before it suddenly moves. In this study, airborne LiDAR data was analyzed to find their geomorphic characteristics to use for extracting their locations. The study site was set in the suburb of Sapporo City, Hokkaido in Japan. The area is underlain by Andesite and Tuff and prone to landslides. Slope angle and surface roughness were calculated from 5 m resolution DEM. These filters were chosen because colluvial materials deposit at around the angle of repose and accumulation of loose materials was considered to form a peculiar surface texture differentiable from other slope types. Field survey conducted together suggested that colluvial slopes could be identified by the filters with a probability of 80 percent. Repeat LiDAR monitoring of the site by an unmanned helicopter indicated that those slopes detected as colluviums appeared to be moving at a slow rate. In comparison with a similar study from the crushed zone in Japan, the range of slope angle indicative of colluviums agreed with the Sapporo site, while the texture was rougher due to larger debris composing the slopes.