Geomorphologic landslide inventory by air photo interpretation of the High Agri Valley (Southern Italy)

Landslide inventories provide the knowledge basis for many geomorphological applications and also planning and emergency management. Detailed landslide inventories should also be prepared where pre-existing inventories are available, as knowledge updates. In this paper, we present a new geomorphological landslide inventory for an area of the High Agri Valley, Southern Italian Apennines. The map was prepared through systematic interpretation of historical aerial photographs testing extensive use of anaglyph glasses in StereoPhoto Maker freeware. A total of 2124 landslides were classified based on the type of movement, estimated depth, estimated relative age and three levels of uncertainty, providing landslide attributes and map constraints useful for land planning and hazard studies. The map also documents the relationships between landslides and fluvial landforms of different generations, recording important information to investigate the geomorphological evolution of the area further. We expect that landslide mapping in similar environments will benefit from the workflow here presented.

Automated summary

The study presents a new landslide inventory for an area in the Southern Italian Apennines, prepared through systematic interpretation of historical aerial photographs. A total of 2124 landslides were classified based on movement type, estimated depth, relative age and uncertainty levels, providing useful landslide attributes and map constraints for land planning and hazard studies. The map also documents the relationships between landslides and fluvial landforms of different generations, contributing important information for further investigation of the geomorphological evolution of the area.