Abstract
This work aims to identify the spatial patterns of some landslides triggered by the 19 September 2017 Puebla-Morelos earthquake (Mw 7.1) in Mexico. Several landslides were activated through a vast area in the central-southern region of the country, mainly concentrated in the states of Puebla and Morelos. Landslide data was derived from multiple sources. We have recognized and manually mapped the earthquake-induced landslides (EQL) through visual interpretation of high-resolution satellite imagery (0.5–3 m). Furthermore, we conducted an extensive media investigation to document cases and reports in populated regions located in the epicentral zone affected by EQL. Shallow disrupted landslides as falls and slides were recognized through the mountainous zones of the study area. Although most of the documented landslides occurred in remote non-urbanized areas, some events disturbed populated regions, collapsed railways, and interrupted life-basic services. At least, two persons died because of mass movements triggered by this earthquake but several others were affected. Finally, we analyzed the spatial distribution of these landslides in terms of influence factors as lithology, topography (elevation, slope angle, and slope aspect), seismological features (distance to epicenter, area of distribution, PGA and MMI), and accumulated precipitation. A cluster analysis following amalgamation (linkage) rule was carried out to infer relationships between EQL and the main factors controlling the phenomena. We conclude the distribution pattern of the landslides induced by the Puebla-Morelos earthquake was controlled by the combined effect of lithology, peak ground acceleration, and rainfall accumulation.
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Data availability
Strong motion data used in this study were obtained by the Servicio Sismológico Nacional (SSN; http://www.ssn.unam.mx/) and the RAII-UNAM Strong Motion Database (https://aplicaciones.iingen.unam.mx/AcelerogramasRSM/Default.aspx); both data centers are managed by the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Macroseismic data were obtained by Sintió un sismo? web questionnaire (http://sismos.uanl.mx/index.html), managed by the Universidad Autónoma de Nuevo León. Geological data was consulted in the Servicio Geológico Mexicano website (https://sgm.gob.mx). Elevation and rainfall data were obtained from NASA servers (https://nasa.gov). All websites were last accessed in November 2021.
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We are grateful to two anonymous reviewers and to the Editor for their constructive comments that helped us to prepare a better work. The authors thank the personnel of the Servicio Sismológico Nacional, Instituto de Geofísica, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), and the Seismic Instrumentation Group at the Instituto de Ingeniería, UNAM for station maintenance, data acquisition, and distribution. Special thanks to Leobardo Domínguez (CENAPRED) and Leonardo Ramírez (IINGEN-UNAM) for sharing useful data for the analysis here presented. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the authors.
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Salinas-Jasso, J.A., Montalvo-Arrieta, J.C. & Velasco-Tapia, F. Spatial patterns of shallow landslides induced by the 19 September 2017 Puebla-Morelos earthquake, Mexico. Bull Eng Geol Environ 82, 15 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-022-03030-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-022-03030-1