GROUND AND SATELLITE LONG-TERM MONITORING OF TWO SLOW-MOVING URBANIZED EARTHFLOWS OF THE ITALIAN SOUTHERN APENNINES

Basal and superficial displacements of two landslides in overconsolidated clayey soils are being monitored by inclinometers and GPS since 2005, and in some parts of the slope since the 1990s. The mostly North-South (N-S) orientation of the landslide displacements makes monitoring by satellite interferometry a challenging problem. To solve it, COSMO-SkyMed Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR) data were analyzed at the scale for which inclinometers and GPS provide clear indication of displacement directions, thus allowing a confident use also of ERS and Envisat data. The kinematic history of the last 20 years of the urbanized area of the landslides was thus reconstructed even where ground-based displacement series were available over short periods or not available at all. The effectiveness of the remedial measures adopted in the area on displacement rates was also evaluated.

Automated summary

In this study, basal and superficial displacements of two landslides in overconsolidated clayey soils were monitored using inclinometers and GPS. Difficulty was encountered in monitoring the mostly North-South displacement orientations using satellite interferometry. By analyzing COSMO-SkyMed DInSAR data, the kinematic history of the urbanized area of the landslides over the last 20 years was reconstructed, even in areas where ground-based displacement data were limited or unavailable. The effectiveness of the remedial measures implemented in the area on displacement rates was also evaluated.