Distribution and spatial analysis of rockslides failures in the Icelandic Westfjords: first results
International audience Rockslides are numerous in the Icelandic Westfjords. In this study, the large visible rockslides have been inventoriedin a first stage, by observation of aerial images and subsequent photo-interpretation. A total of 186 rockslides hasbeen recorded and in a second stage, their...
Published in: | Géomorphologie : relief, processus, environnement |
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Main Authors: | , , , , |
Other Authors: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
Published: |
HAL CCSD
2016
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Subjects: | |
Online Access: | https://hal.science/hal-01318152 https://doi.org/10.4000/geomorphologie.11303 |
Summary: | International audience Rockslides are numerous in the Icelandic Westfjords. In this study, the large visible rockslides have been inventoriedin a first stage, by observation of aerial images and subsequent photo-interpretation. A total of 186 rockslides hasbeen recorded and in a second stage, their distribution has been studied, using Geographic Information Systemsand statistical methods like Kernel Density Estimator (KDE). The relief of the studied area is closely related with theglacial and interglacial periods. Rockslides are mostly concentrated close to the coast, where the relief is dominantlyshaped by glaciers exposing high slopes, while the inner part mainly constituted of plateaux is not prone to massmovements. Nevertheless, the statistical analysis does not show a strong correlation between slope gradient androckslides concentration, as the null hypothesis is not rejected. Other causes already mentioned by several authorsare consistent with the location of rockslides, such as favourable dip or mass movement occurrence in the Tertiarybasalts. These elements cannot explain the spatial distribution of rockslides in the West! ords by themselves, at aregional scale. The deglaciation pattern might provide an explanation for this spatial distribution, even withoutprecise dating. This work provides a new database where commonly claimed triggers do not provide a satisfactoryexplanation to the spatial distribution of rockslides in the Icelandic Westfjords. |
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