12 February 2010

Maps of global fatal landslides

Posted by Dave Petley

NB there is an alaysis of the data in thiese maps in this post:
http://daveslandslideblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/analysis-of-fatal-landslides-in-asia.html

I have recently worked up two new maps of the distribution of fatal landslides, based upon the fatal landslide database that I maintain. This first map shows the global distribution of non-seismic landslides for the period 2006-2008. Each dot represents a single fatal landslide. The colours indicate the year:

Red = 2008
Blue = 2007
Green = 2006

The background image is the ETOPO digital elevation model, with the darker colours indicating higher ground (click on the image for a better view in a new window):
There are a whole host of interesting aspects of this map. First, note the clustering of the landslides in areas that are tectonically-active (e.g. Western S. America, the Himalayas, Indonesia, etc). Second, note how the patterns change from year to year (e.g. take a look at the south coast of China – this is related to typhoon landfalls). Finally, note that the vast majority of recorded fatal landslides occur in Asia. This is shown better by the second map, for Asia only:

Please feel free to use the information and figures on websites, reports, theses etc, but please reference this as follows:

Petley, D.N. 2010. An analysis of fatal landslides in the Asia-Pacific region for 2006 to 2008. Dave’s Landslide Blog URL: http://daveslandslideblog.blogspot.com/2010/02/analysis-of-fatal-landslides-in-asia.html