Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Regolith thickness modeling using a GIS approach for landslide distribution analysis, NW Himalayas

  • Published:
Journal of Mountain Science Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Regolith thickness is considered as a contributing factor for the occurrence of landslides. Although, mostly it is ignored because of complex nature and as it requires more time and resources for investigation. This study aimed to appraise the role of regolith thickness on landslide distribution in the Muzaffarabad and surrounding areas, NW Himalayas. For this purpose regolith thickness samples were evenly collected from all the lithological units at representative sites within different slope and elevation classes in the field. Topographic attributes (slope, aspect, drainage, Topographic Wetness Index, elevation and curvature) were derived from the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) (12.5 m resolution). ArcGIS Model Builder was used to develop the regolith thickness model. Stepwise regression technique was used to explore the spatial variation of regolith thickness using topographic attributes and lithological units. The derived model explains about 88% regolith thickness variation. The model was validated and shows good agreement (70%) between observed and predicted values. Subsequently, the derived regolith model was used to understand the relationship between regolith thickness and landslide distribution. The analysis shows that most of the landslides were located within 1–5 m regolith thickness. However, landslide concentration is highest within 5–10 m regolith thickness, which shows that regolith thickness played a significant role for the occurrence of landslide in the studied area.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Afshar FA, Ayoubi S, Jalalian A (2010) Soil redistribution rate and its relationship with soil organic carbon and total nitrogen using 137Cs technique in a cultivated complex hillslope in western Iran. Journal of Environmental Radioactivity 101: 606–614. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvrad.2010.03.008

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baig MS, Lawrence RD (1987) Precambrian to Early Paleozoic orogenesis in the Himalaya. Kashmir Journal of Geology 5: 1–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Basharat M, Rohn J, Baig MS, et al. (2012) Lithological and structural Control of Hattian Bala rock avalanche triggered by the Kashmir earthquake 2005, NW Himalaya, Pakistan. Journal of Earth Sciences 23(2): 213–224. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12583-012-0248-3

    Google Scholar 

  • Basharat M, Rohn J, Baig MS, et al. (2014a) Spatial distribution analysis of mass movements triggered by the 2005 Kashmir earthquake in the Northeast Himalayas of Pakistan. Geomorphology 206: 203–214. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2013.09.025

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Basharat M, Rohn J, Baig MS, Khan MR, et al. (2014b) Large scale Mass Movements triggered by the Kashmir Earthquake 2005, Pakistan. Journal of Mountain Science 11(1): 19–30. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-012-2629-6

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Calkins JA, Offield TW, Abdullah SKM, et al. (1975) Geology of the Southern Himalaya in Hazara, Pakistan and adjacent areas. U. S. Geological Survey, Professional Paper 716-c: 29.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crozier MJ (2012) Landslides-Hill Country, Regolith and Submarine Landslides. TeAra. The Encyclopedia of New Zealand.

    Google Scholar 

  • Florinsky IV, Eilers RG, Manning GR (2002) Prediction of soil properties by digital terrain modeling. Environmental Modeling and Software 17: 295–311.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Greco A (1989) Tectonic and metamorphism of the western Himalayan Syntaxis area (Azad Kashmir NE Pakistan) dissertation ETH Zurich 8779: 1–113.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ho JY, Lee KT, Chang TC, et al. (2012) Influences of spatial distribution of soil thickness on shallow landslide prediction. Engineering Geology 124: 38–46. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2011.09.013

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hewitt K (2009) Rock avalanches that travel onto glaciers and related developments, Karakoram Himalaya, Inner Asia. Geomorphology 103(1): 66–79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2007.10.017

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hussain A, Yeats RS, Mona Lisa (2009) Geological setting of the 8 October 2005 Kashmir earthquake. Journal of Seismology 13: 315–325. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10950-008-9101-7

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hussain A, Mughal N, Haq I, et al. (2004) Geological map of the Gari Habib Ullah area, district Mansehra and parts of Muzaffarabad district, AJK. Geological Map Series. Islamabad-Pakistan, Geological Survey of Pakistan.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jon P, Craig R (2009) Geomorphically based predictive mapping of soil thickness in upland watersheds. Water Resources Research 45(9). https://doi.org/10.1029/2008WR007319

    Google Scholar 

  • Kamp U, Growley BJ, Khattak GA, et al. (2008) GIS-based landslide susceptibility mapping for the 2005 Kashmir earthquake region. Geomorphology 101(4): 631–642. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2008.03.003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keefer DK (1984) Landslides caused by earthquakes. U. S. Geological Society Bulleton 95: 6–21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kuriakose SL, Devkota S, Rossiter DG, et al. (2009) Prediction of soil depth using Environmental variables in an anthropogenic landscape: A case study of kerara, India. Catena 79: 27–38. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2009.05.005

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Keijsers J (2009) Modeling shallow landslide locations in Taiwan. MS thesis, University of Wageningen, Wageningen. p 15.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim MS, Onda Y, Uchida T, et al. (2016) Effects of soil depth and subsurface flow along the subsurface topography on shallow landslide predictions at the site of a small granitic hillslope. Geomorphology 271: 40–54. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2016.07.031

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mehnatkesh A, Ayoubi S, Jalalian A, et al. (2013) Relationships between soil depth and terrain attributes in a semi-arid hilly region in western Iran. Journal of Mountain Sciences 10: 163–172. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-013-2427-9

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Minansy B, McBratney AB (1999) A rudimentary mechanistic model for soil production and landscape development. Geoderma 90: 3–21.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nakata T, Tsutsumi HT, Khan SH, et al. (1991) Active faults of Pakistan: Map sheets and inventories. Special publication 21, Hiroshima University, Hiroshima. p 141.

    Google Scholar 

  • Owen LA, Kamp U, Khattak GA, et al. (2008) Landslides triggered by the 8 October 2005 Kashmir earthquake. Geomorphology 94: 1–9. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2007.04.007

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Petley DN, Hearn GJ, Hart A, et al. (2007) Trends in landslide occurrence in Nepal. Natural hazards 43(1): 23–44. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-006-9100-3

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Petley D, Dunning S, Rosser N, et al. (2006) Incipient Landslides in the Jhelum Valley, Pakistan following the 8th October 2005 earthquake. Disaster Mitigation of Rock Flows, Slope failures and Landslides by Universal Academy Press. pp 1–9.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shafique M, Meijde VD, Khan MA (2016) A review of the 2005 Kashmir earthquake induced landslides; from a remote sensing prospective. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 118: 68–80. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jseaes.2016.01.002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shafique M, Meijde VD, Saleem Ullah M (2011a) Regolith modeling and its relation to earthquake induced building damage, a remote sensing approach. Journal of Asian Earth Sciences 42: 65–75. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jseaes.2011.04.004

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shafique M, Meijde VD, Rossiter DG (2011b) Geophysical and remote sensing-based approach to model regolith thickness in a data-sparse environment. CATENA 87(1): 11–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.catena.2011.04.004

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Schuster RL, Fleming RW (1986) Economic losses and fatalities due to landslides. Bulletin of the Association of Engineering Geologists 23(1): 11–28. https://doi.org/10.2113/gseegeosci.xxiii.1.11

    Google Scholar 

  • Shou KJ, Hong CY, Wu CC, et al. (2011) Spatial and temporal analysis of landslides in Central Taiwan after 1999 Chi-Chi earthquake. Engineering Geology 123(1): 122–128.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tsai CC, Chen ZS, Duh CT, et al. (2001) Prediction of soil depth using a soil-landscape Regression Model: a case study on forest soils in southern Taiwan. National Science Council of the Republic of China, Part B: Life Sciences 25: 34–39.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor G, Eggleton RA (2001) Importance and application of regolith geology and landscapes. Regolith geology and geomorphology. Wiley & sons Limited, Chichester. p 303.

    Google Scholar 

  • Varnes DJ (1978) Slope movement type and processes. In: Schuster RL and Krizek RJ (eds.), Landslides: analysis and control. National Academy of Sciences, Transportation Research Board Special report. pp 12–33.

  • Young FJ, hammer RD (2000) Defining Geographic soil bodies by landscape position, soil taxonomy and cluster analysis. Soil science society of America 64: 989–998.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ziadat FM (2005) Analyzing digital terrain attributes to predict soil attributes for a relatively large area. Soil Science Society of America Journal 69: 1590–1599. https://doi.org/10.2136/sssaj2003.0264

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful to the Director Institute of Geology for providing transportation facilities during field work.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Geology, University of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Muzaffarabad, 13100, Pakistan

    Muhammad Basharat, Masood Qasim, Muhammad Tayyib Riaz & Muhammad Rustam Khan

  2. National Center of Excellence in Geology, University of Peshawar, Peshawar, 25120, Pakistan

    Muhammad Shafique

  3. Land Use Planning and Development Department, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Muzaffarabad, 13100, Pakistan

    Nasir Hameed

Authors
  1. Muhammad Basharat
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Masood Qasim
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Muhammad Shafique
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Nasir Hameed
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Muhammad Tayyib Riaz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Muhammad Rustam Khan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Muhammad Basharat.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Basharat, M., Qasim, M., Shafique, M. et al. Regolith thickness modeling using a GIS approach for landslide distribution analysis, NW Himalayas. J. Mt. Sci. 15, 2466–2479 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-018-4840-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-018-4840-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation