Methodology for landslide susceptibility mapping by means of a GIS. Application to the contraviesa area (Granada, Spain)

Abstract

This article presents a method to map landslide susceptibility in rock massifs using Geographical Information Systems (GIS). The method is based on making an inventory of rupture zones of different types of slope movements and then analysing the bivariate correlation of these with the factors that determine instability. After determining the factors that present the highest correlation with each type of movement, a matrix is created to combine these factors and to determine the percentage of the rupture zone in each combination, which provides an expression of the susceptibility of the terrain. The map thus obtained is divided into susceptibility classes. The susceptibility maps (made in 1995) for each type of movement are first calibrated with the inventory of the movements from which they are derived (previous to 1995), and subsequently validated by another inventory elaborated after the susceptibility maps (in 1997). In both cases, significant correlation coefficients were obtained (the Goodman-Kruskal coefficients were over 0.8 and sometimes exceeded 0.9). The relative error (degree of accumulated fit for very low to low susceptibility classes) was always less than 5%, while the relative success rate was always above 50%. These results illustrate the adequacy of the method and of the maps obtained.