Small-scale catastrophic landslides in loess areas of China: an example of the March 15, 2019, Zaoling landslide in Shanxi Province

In March 15, 2019, a small-scale loess landslide occurred at Zaoling, Shanxi Province, China, destroying several buildings and killing 20 people. Based on a digital orthophoto map (DOM) and digital elevation model (DEM) derived from Dajiang Pro4 UAV aerial images, coupled with field investigations, this paper describes the geometric features of this slope failure and analyzes its possible inducing factors. Results show that this landslide has a circular chair shape with a sliding direction of 355 degrees. The total projected area of the landslide is 11,800 m(2), in which the source is 9880 m(2), and the main scarp is 1995 m(2). The volume of the source material and loose deposit debris are about 10 x 10(4) m(3) and 12 x 10(4) m(3), respectively. Our research suggests that the inducing factors of this event may include the low strength and structure of the loess under a wet condition, special landforms of the slope, and human activities such as water discharge from a nearby bath center building and coal mining.