Monitoring Seasonal Movement Characteristics of the Landslide Based on Time-Series InSAR Technology: The Cheyiping Landslide Case Study, China

Landslides are one of the extremely high-incidence and serious-loss geological disasters in the world, and the early monitoring and warning of landslides are of great importance. The Cheyiping landslide, located in western Yunnan Province, China, added many cracks and dislocations to the surface of the slope due to the severe seasonal rainfall and rise of the water level, which seriously threaten the safety of residents and roads located on the body and foot of the slope. To investigate the movement of the landslide, this paper used Sentinel-1A SAR data processed by time-series interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) technology to monitor the long-time surface deformation. The landslide boundary was defined, then the spatial distribution of landslide surface deformation from 5 January 2018 to 27 December 2021 was obtained. According to the monthly rainfall data and the temporal deformation results, the movement of the landslide was highly correlated with seasonal rainfall, and the Cheyiping landslide underwent seasonal sectional accelerated deformation. Moreover, the water level change of the Lancang River caused by the water storage of the hydropower station and seasonal rainfall accelerates the deformation of the landslide. This case study contributes to the interpretation of the slow deformation mechanism of the Cheyiping landslide and early hazard warning.

Automated summary

Landslides are highly frequent and devastating geological disasters worldwide, and early monitoring and warning are crucial. This study used InSAR technology to analyze Sentinel-1A SAR data and monitor the long-term surface deformation of the Cheyiping landslide in western Yunnan Province, China. The results showed a strong correlation between landslide movement and seasonal rainfall, with seasonal accelerated deformation. This case study contributes to the understanding of the slow deformation mechanism and early hazard warning of the Cheyiping landslide.