Landslide Susceptibility Assessment in the Japanese Archipelago Based on a Landslide Distribution Map

Though danger prediction and countermeasures for landslides are important, it is fundamentally difficult to take preventive measures in all areas susceptible to dangerous landslides. Therefore, it is necessary to perform landslide susceptibility mapping, extract slopes with high landslide hazard/risk, and prioritize locations for conducting investigations and countermeasures. In this study, landslide susceptibility mapping along the whole slope of the Japanese archipelago was performed using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method, and geographic information system analysis was conducted to extract the slope that had the same level of hazard/risk as areas where landslides occurred in the past, based on the ancient landslide topography in the Japanese archipelago. The evaluation factors used were elevation, slope angle, slope type, flow accumulation, geology, and vegetation. The landslide susceptibility of the slope was evaluated using the score accumulation from the AHP method for these evaluation factors. Based on the landslide susceptibility level (I to V), a landslide susceptibility map was prepared, and landslide susceptibility assessment in the Japanese archipelago was identified. The obtained landslide susceptibility map showed good correspondence with the landslide distribution, and correlated well with past landslide occurrences. This suggests that our method can be applied to the extraction of unstable slopes, and is effective for prioritizing and implementing preventative measures.

Automated summary

Although it is difficult to implement preventive measures in all areas prone to dangerous landslides, this study conducted landslide susceptibility mapping along the entire slope of the Japanese archipelago using the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) method. It also extracted slopes with similar hazard/risk levels to areas where landslides have occurred in the past, based on ancient landslide topography. The obtained landslide susceptibility map showed good correspondence with landslide distribution and past occurrences, indicating the effectiveness of the method for prioritizing and implementing preventative measures.