A Survey of Landslide Activity in the Columbia River Gorge from InSAR

Abstract:

The Columbia River Gorge contains several large landslide complexes that have exhibited historical movement, both catastrophic and slow moving. Monitoring the kinematics of active movement helps to characterize the ongoing natural hazard. In this study, we document the status of several large landslide complexes along the Columbia River Gorge. We use synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data from multiple satellites (ERS, ENVISAT and ALOS) to reveal the spatial-temporal movement of slow-moving landslides over two decades, 1992-2011. To increase the spatial extent of the signal we developed a new InSAR time-series method based on pixel coherence and derived the time series of the landslides. We also investigate the ability of Persistent Scatterer InSAR to better illuminate active movement.

While many historical landslide complexes show minimal or non-existent movement, we measure significant creep on the Redbluff landslide, which is part of the Cascade Landslide Complex near the Bonneville Dam. The InSAR time-series data reveal approximately 25 cm of line-of-sight movement from 5 years of ALOS observations, which translates into greater than 60 cm of downslope movement. The Redbluff landslide is seasonally activated, with accelerated movement observed during the early winter of each year. However, the amplitude of the seasonal signal is variable from year-to-year. To assess the triggering mechanisms, we compared the deformation time series data with local precipitation data. The deformation correlates well with precipitation, implying the slow movement is controlled by rainfall that infiltrates to the base of the slide. A preliminary comparison with the bare earth 2m-resolution digital elevation model from LiDAR reveals that the overall deformation pattern and the active perimeter is highly correlated with the morphology of the landslide.