Rainfall Thresholds Triggering Landslides: A Review

Abstract

In different physiographic and climatic regions worldwide, rainfall is recognized as one of the most common triggering factor for landslides causing severe damage to property and lives of large number of people every year. Urbanization in case of hilly areas has led to the need of detailed study and research in the field of landslides triggered by rainfall. Rainfall thresholds are statistical approximation of minimum rainfall conditions that trigger landslides for a particular mix of geologic, hydrologic, and topographic variables in a particular area. In the hazard-prone areas, the assessment of landslide-triggering rainfall thresholds is useful for development of early warning system. A lot many studies are available on this topic, which determine and estimate the amount of rainfall causing landslides. This paper aims at presenting a current state-of-the-art on the application of rainfall thresholds concepts, techniques, and methods for landslide occurrence with a focus on recent papers (after 2000) published in peer-reviewed journals.