A multidisciplinary approach for landslide residual risk assessment: the Pomarico landslide (Basilicata Region, Southern Italy) case study

On 25 and 29 January 2019, a large landslide destroyed an important part of the town of Pomarico (Basilicata Region, Southern Italy). Geological and geomorphological investigations provided a detailed description of the landslide features. Several geophysical surveys were carried out to deepen knowledge of the landslide and the residual risk assessment. Detailed electrical resistivity tomography (ERT), multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW), and seismic refraction tomography (SRT) have been used to analyze geomorphological evidences of the failure and the potential kinematic evolution of the landslide scarp, a crucial factor to assess landslide residual risk. The joint analyses of the geophysical results, compared with geological and geomorphological data, allowed to obtain detailed information about the stratigraphic contact between clayey and sandy deposits in the crown area of the landslide, and to identify the post-failure stability condition changes in sands. The geophysical analyses confirmed the presence of multiple old degraded scarps developed over time and provided information on the decompression state of the different areas of the landslide crown. The results highlighted a subparallel stratification consisting of an anthropic surface carry-over material, which covers a layer of sands with silty intercalations, overlying clayey material that represents the bedrock of the investigated area. Furthermore, natural and anthropogenic caves, mainly developed in well-cemented layers of sands, were identified. This study emphasized how the integration of different geophysical methods constitutes a capable tool for characterizing landslides, contributing to assessing the landslide residual risk of the slope mass and evaluating the suitability of the methods in relation to the investigated landslide conditions.

Automated summary

This study employed various geophysical methods to investigate a large landslide in Pomarico, Italy, revealing features of the landslide, stratigraphic contacts, and stability changes. The results showed the presence of multiple degraded scarps and an anthropic surface layer within the stratification. Additionally, natural and anthropogenic caves were identified in the sand layers.