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Geomorphological characterization, remote sensing monitoring, and modeling of a slow-moving landslide in Alcoy (Southern Spain)

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Abstract

In the present paper, an active landslide located to the southeast of the urban area of Alcoy (Alicante, Spain) is analysed. This landslide affects the N-340 road, as well as an area in which some industrial buildings dated from the fifteenth century and catalogued as Places of Cultural Interest are placed. This region is characterised by the existence of a steep relief composed of materials from the Miocene to the present, on which many gravitational movements are developed. The displacements have been analysed using high-resolution spotlight mode SAR images captured by the Spanish SAR satellite PAZ (which operates at X-band), which were processed by advanced differential SAR Interferometry (A-DInSAR). The behaviour of the instability has been determined using InSAR-derived time series displacement maps. Additionally, the study has been completed with a detailed geomorphological mapping at 1:2000 scale and an analysis of structural damage carried out in situ. The landslide was modelled in 3D, from a deterministic and probabilistic point of view, confirming the global instability of the area and the relationship of the landslide with rainfall and the construction of a new road. The integration of all this information obtained and its subsequent analysis has made possible to precisely define the extension of the instability, its kinematics, and to identify the main triggering factors. This information will be crucial for the proper management of this landslide by the local authorities.

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Data Availability

The data that support the findings of this study are not openly available but are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the Demarcación de Carreteras del Estado de la Comunidad Valenciana for the provided information.

Funding

This work was supported by the ESA-MOST China DRAGON-5 project with ref. 59339, by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation, the State Agency of Research (AEI), and the European Funds for Regional Development under grant PID2020-117303 GB-C22, and by the Conselleria de Innovación, Universidades, Ciencia y Sociedad Digital in the framework of the project CIAICO/2021/335. All the PAZ images were provided by INTA (National Institute of Aerospace Technology) as part of PAZ-Ciencia (Scientific Exploitation of PAZ, project nr. PAZ-AO-001–025).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Ingeniería Civil, Escuela Politécnica Superior de Alicante, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain

    R. Tomás, E. Díaz & X. Liu

  2. Departamento Satélite, L’Hospitalet de Llobregat, Sixense, Av. Carrilet 219, 4,3, Barcelona, 08907, Spain

    W. T. Szeibert

  3. School of Geological Engineering and Geomatics, Chang’an University, Xi’an, China

    X. Liu & C. Zhao

  4. Instituto Universitario de Investigación Informática, Universidad de Alicante, Alicante, Spain

    J. M. Lopez-Sanchez

Authors
  1. R. Tomás
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  2. E. Díaz
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  3. W. T. Szeibert
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  4. X. Liu
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  5. J. M. Lopez-Sanchez
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  6. C. Zhao
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to R. Tomás.

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Tomás, R., Díaz, E., Szeibert, W.T. et al. Geomorphological characterization, remote sensing monitoring, and modeling of a slow-moving landslide in Alcoy (Southern Spain). Landslides 20, 1293–1301 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-023-02032-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-023-02032-8

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