THIRD OPEN SOURCE GEOSPATIAL RESEARCH & EDUCATION SYMPOSIUM (OGRS)
Espoo, Finland, 10-13 June 2014
© by the author(s) Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License
Morphometric signatures of
landslides
Ivan Marchesini
1
, Mauro Rossi
1,2
, Alessandro Mondini
1
, Michele
Santangelo
1
, and Francesco Bucci
1
1
CNR IRPI, Via Madonna Alta 126, 06128 Perugia, Italy
2
Department of Earth Sciences, University of Perugia, Piazza dell'Universitá 1, 06100
Perugia, Italy
Abstract: Morphometric parameters are widely used in landslides mapping and
modeling. Here we present a framework/procedure to analyze the morphological
fingerprints of landslides in a territory. For this purpose we identify a set of
morphometric variables and a procedure to distinguish different morphological
landslide signatures. Our intent is to create a library of the landslide morphological
signatures as much as possible complete. Results will be helpful to improve the
ability to detect landslide on the surface, the modeling capabilities, and the
knowledge of landslide processes.
Keywords: Landslide, Geomorphometry, signature, GIS
1 Introduction
Pike et al. (2008) defined Geomorphometry as the science of quantitative land-
surface analysis. The term Geomorphometry has got a great impulse and a renewed
interest starting from the book edited by Hengl & Reuter in 2008, which probably
represents a sort of milestone for this interdisciplinary field. The primary objective
of geomorphometry is the characterization of discrete surface features (landforms)
through the analysis of land-surface parameters (e.g. slope, curvatures, etc.).
Recently Jasiewicz & Stepinski ǻŘŖŗřǼ introduced the concept of ȃgeomorphonsȄ, a
new approach (criterion) to identify/characterize surface landforms.
Morphometric analysis is widely used in landslide mapping and modeling.
Geomorphologists implicitly (i.e. exploiting their own experience/capacity to
analyze the shape of the slopes looking, as an example, for an upper concavity and
lower convexity on a slope, that typically indicates the presence of a landslide -
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