Quantifying the spatial distribution of soil mass wasting processes after the 2008 earthquake in Wenchuan, China: A case study of the Longmenshan area

The beautiful Longmenshan area is one of the main tourist attractions in Sichuan Province, China. The epicenter of a catastrophic earthquake measured at 8.0 Ms (China Seismological Bureau), occurred within this area at Wenchuan (31°01′16″N, 103°22′01″E) at 14:28 May 12, 2008 (Beijing time). The earthquake triggered numerous types of landslide transport and hazards, including soil and debris avalanches, rockfalls, slumps, debris flows, creation of barrier lakes and slope flattenings. This paper examines the landslide hazards in the Longmenshan area caused by the earthquake using remotely sensed images, mainly Beijing-1 Microsatellite data before and after the earthquake, compared to digital elevation maps and slope gradient maps, land use and vegetation cover maps. Areas of erosion and loss of vegetation were compared from pre- and post-earthquake data, from which were calculated changes in vegetated areas, bare slopes, and mass movement during the earthquake. These events occurred over altitudes from 1000 to 4000 m and on slope angles between 25 and 55°. The results show that the total area of erosion and land movement due to the earthquake increased by 86.3 km2 (19.2% of the study area). Compared with pre-earthquake, the areas of very low intensity soil erosion and moderate intensity soil erosion were respectively reduced by 3.6 km2, 24.3 km2 and 30.9 km2. On the other hand, the areas of severe and very severe intensity soil erosion were substantially increased by 45.8 km2 and 99.2 km2. In the post-earthquake stage, the bare areas (vegetation cover < 15%) have increased by 65.8 km2. Without vegetation, the denuded earthquake damaged slopes and other high risk sites have become severe erosion problems. Thus, it is essential to continue long-term monitoring of mass wasting in the denuded areas and evaluate potential risk sites for future landslides and debris flows. We anticipate that these results will be helpful in decision making and policy planning for recovery and reconstruction in the earthquake-affected area.