On the spatial relationship between landslides and causative factors on Lantau Island, Hong Kong

• Published in: Geomorphology (Amsterdam, Netherlands) Vol. 43; no. 3; pp. 197 - 207
• Main Authors: Zhou, C.H, Lee, C.F, Li, J, Xu, Z.W
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.03.2002; Elsevier
• Subjects: Areal geology. Maps; Bgi / Prodig; Earth sciences; Earth, ocean, space; Engineering and environment geology. Geothermics; Exact sciences and technology; Geographical information systems; Geologic maps, cartography; Geomorphology; Interactive mapping; Landslide; Marine and continental quaternary; Natural hazards: prediction, damages, etc; Physical geography; Slopes; Spatial distribution pattern; Statistical spatial analysis; Surficial geology; Hong Kong; Far East; Statistical spatial analysis; Spatial distribution pattern; Landslide; Geographical information systems; Interactive mapping; models; rainfall; histograms; topography; geographic information systems; cartography; case studies; slopes; spatial distribution; transition zones; Asia; islands; landslides; prediction; statistical analysis; slope angle; landform evolution; land cover; Precipitation; Spatial distribution; Slope gradient; Forecast; Vegetation; Spatial analysis; Slope dynamics; Geographical information system; Statistics; Slope
• ISSN: 0169-555X; 1872-695X
• DOI: 10.1016/S0169-555X(01)00130-1

This paper presents a statistical approach to study the spatial relationship between landslides and their causative factors at the regional level. The approach is based on digital databases, and incorporates such methods as statistics, spatial pattern analysis, and interactive mapping. Firstly, the authors propose an object-oriented conceptual model for describing a landslide event, and a combined database of landslides and environmental factors is constructed by integrating the various databases within such a conceptual framework. The statistical histogram, spatial overlay, and dynamic mapping methods are linked together to interactively evaluate the spatial pattern of the relationship between landslides and their causative factors. A case study of an extreme event in 1993 on Lantau Island indicates that rainfall intensity and the migration of the center of the rainstorm greatly influence the occurrence of landslides on Lantau Island. A regional difference in the relationship between landslides and topography is identified. Most of the landslides in the middle and western parts of the island occurred on slopes with slope angles of 25–35°, while in the eastern part, the corresponding range is 30–35°. Overlaying landslide data with land cover reveals that a large number of landslides occurred in the bareland and shrub-covered area, and in the transition zones between different vegetation types. The proposed approach can be used not only to analyze the general characteristics of such a relationship, but also to depict its spatial distribution and variation, thereby providing a sound basis for regional landslide prediction.