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Regional mapping and characterisation of old landslides in hilly regions using LiDAR-based imagery in Southern Flanders

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

M. Van Den Eeckhaut ,
Jean Poesen ,
Frans Gullentops ,
Liesbeth Vandekerckhove  and
Javier Hervás
M. Van Den Eeckhaut*
Affiliation:
Land Management and Natural Hazards Unit, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Joint Research Centre (JRC)–European Commission, 21027 Ispra (VA), Italy Division of Geography, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, K.U.Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200E, B-3001 Heverlee, Belgium
Jean Poesen
Affiliation:
Division of Geography, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, K.U.Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200E, B-3001 Heverlee, Belgium
Frans Gullentops
Affiliation:
Division of Geography, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, K.U.Leuven, Celestijnenlaan 200E, B-3001 Heverlee, Belgium
Liesbeth Vandekerckhove
Affiliation:
Environment, Nature and Energy Department, Flemish Government, Brussels, Belgium
Javier Hervás
Affiliation:
Land Management and Natural Hazards Unit, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Joint Research Centre (JRC)–European Commission, 21027 Ispra (VA), Italy
*
⁎Corresponding author at: Land Management and Natural Hazards Unit, Institute for Environment and Sustainability, Joint Research Centre (JRC)–European Commission, 21027 Ispra (VA), Italy.
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Abstract

Analysis of LiDAR-derived imagery led to the discovery of more than 330 pre-Holocene to recent landslides in Southern Flanders (4850 km2). The morphology of three landslides, including the 266.5 ha deep-seated gravitational slope deformation in Alden Biesen, was investigated in more detail. The analysis of the morphological and topographical characteristics (width–length relation, frequency–area distribution and topographical threshold) of the landslides revealed important differences compared to the characteristics reported in other landslide studies, and helped understanding possible landslide triggering mechanisms. Especially the possibility of a seismic origin of the landslides was investigated. Finally, a heuristic model for region-wide landslide susceptibility mapping was successfully tested. The susceptibility model and map allow prediction of future landslide locations and contribute to better understanding the role of individual causal factors on landslide location and spatial density. The results suggest that landslides on low-gradient, soil-mantled hills are a more important contributor to landscape evolution of hilly areas than was hitherto thought. The morphology of all hilly regions of Flanders is clearly marked by landslide processes and higher landslide densities often coincide with the presence of quaternary active faults. This study further shows that high-resolution topographical data such as LiDAR significantly contributes to a better detection of old, previously unknown landslides.

Keywords

Quaternary landslidesLiDAR-derived shaded-relief mapsDeep-seated gravitational slope deformationTopographical thresholdFrequency–size distributionSeismic trigger
Type
Research Article
Information
Quaternary Research , Volume 75 , Issue 3 , May 2011 , pp. 721 - 733
Copyright
University of Washington

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