Geometrical feature analysis and disaster assessment of the Xinmo landslide based on remote sensing data

At 5:39 am on June 24, 2017, a landslide occurred in the village of Xinmo in Maoxian County, Aba Tibet and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture(Sichuan Province, Southwest China). On June 25, aerial images were acquired from an unmanned aerial vehicle(UAV), and a digital elevation model(DEM) was processed. Landslide geometrical features were then analyzed. These are the front and rear edge elevation, accumulation area and horizontal sliding distance. Then, the volume and the spatial distribution of the thickness of the deposit were calculated from the difference between the DEM available before the landslide, and the UAV-derived DEM collected after the landslide. Also, the disaster was assessed using high-resolution satellite images acquired before the landslide. These include Quick Bird, Pleiades-1 and GF-2 images with spatial resolutions of 0.65 m, 0.70 m, and 0.80 m, respectively, and the aerial images acquired from the UAV after the landslide with a spatial resolution of 0.1 m. According to the analysis, the area of the landslide was 1.62 km2, and the volume of the landslide was 7.70 ± 1.46 million m3. The average thickness of the landslide accumulation was approximately 8 m. The landslide destroyed a total of 103 buildings. The area of destroyed farmlands was 2.53 ha, and the orchard area was reduced by 28.67 ha. A 2-km section of Songpinggou River was blocked and a 2.1-km section of township road No. 104 was buried. Constrained by the terrain conditions, densely populated and more economically developed areas in the upper reaches of the Minjiang River basin are mainly located in the bottom of the valleys. This is a dangerous area regarding landslide, debris flow and flash flood events Therefore, in mountainous, high-risk disaster areas, it is important to carefully select residential sites to avoid a large number of casualties.

Morphotectonic and Lithostratigraphic Analysis of Intermontane Karewa Basin of Kashmir Himalayas,India

Morpho-tectonic study plays an important role in deciphering the effects of tectonic activity in the geomorphic evolution of the drainage basins.Romushi watershed forms one of the major watersheds of the intermontane Karewa Basin of Kashmir Valley.The Karewa sediments are characterized by glacio-fluvio-lacustrine deposits capped by the aeolian loess.The geomorphic,morphometric and lithostratigraphic studies of these cap deposits have been carried out to elucidate the effect of tectonics on the geomorphic evolution of Romushi Watershed.Geomorphic mapping was carried out using GPS measurements,DEM at 30m resolution,Topographic Position Index(TPI) model,topographic maps,LANDSAT TM Imagery and field data.Morphometric and morphotectonic analyses in GIS environment were used to calculate various geomorphic indices(Mountain Front Sinuosity Index,Bifurcation Ratio,Asymmetry Factor,River Profile,etc).These indices reveal that the tectonic uplift observed in the region due to Himalayan orogeny coupled with mass movement and aeolian deposition have dominated the landscape evolution of intermontane Karewa Basin of Kashmir throughout the Late Quaternary Period.Additional data from lithostratigraphic measurements were analyzed to understand the geomorphic evolution of intermontane Karewa Basin.The data revealed that the basin has experienced differential uplift and erosion rates from time to time in the geological past.This was corroborated by the results from the morphometric and morphotectonic analysis.

Monitoring Land Use and Infrastructure Changes in Industrial Complex Using Geo-Informatics Technology in Gujarat State, India

In the present study, detailed investigations have been carried out in Petroleum, Chemicals and Petrochemical Investment Region (PCPIR) area in Vygra and Bharuch Talukas in Bharuch district of Gujarat State. Indian Remote Sensing Satellite (IRS-P6) LISS-III, LISS-IV and CARTOSAT digital data covering PCPIR area in Bharuch district for the period of January & February of 2011, 2012 and 2013 was analyzed for land use/land cover mapping and monitoring the changes in land use. Various thematic land use/land cover maps were prepared and GIS database for various thematic layers have been generated using satellite and ground based information. The results indicate that the major land use in the PCPIR area is agriculture with crop lands ranging from 61 to 63 per cent of the total area. Crop land has decreased from 64.7% during 2011 to 62.7% during 2013 in the PCPIR region. Area under plantations in PCPIR area has also decreased from 5.5% during 2011 to 5.2% during 2012. The industrial area has increased from 6.0% to 7.6% of the total area of the PCPIR region. The total built-up area (industries & village area) has increased from 7.1% during 2011 to 8.7% during 2013. Tree plantations in the area of around 42 ha were carried out by GIDC during 2012 and 2013 to increase the green cover in the PCPIR area.