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Earthquake-Induced Chains of Geologic Hazards

  • Large earthquakes initiate chains of surface processes that last much longer than the brief moments of strong shaking. Most moderate‐ and large‐magnitude earthquakes trigger landslides, ranging from small failures in the soil cover to massive, devastating rock avalanches. Some landslides dam rivers and impound lakes, which can collapse days to centuries later, and flood mountain valleys for hundreds of kilometers downstream. Landslide deposits on slopes can remobilize during heavy rainfall and evolve into debris flows. Cracks and fractures can form and widen on mountain crests and flanks, promoting increased frequency of landslides that lasts for decades. More gradual impacts involve the flushing of excess debris downstream by rivers, which can generate bank erosion and floodplain accretion as well as channel avulsions that affect flooding frequency, settlements, ecosystems, and infrastructure. Ultimately, earthquake sequences and their geomorphic consequences alter mountain landscapes over both human and geologic time scales. TwoLarge earthquakes initiate chains of surface processes that last much longer than the brief moments of strong shaking. Most moderate‐ and large‐magnitude earthquakes trigger landslides, ranging from small failures in the soil cover to massive, devastating rock avalanches. Some landslides dam rivers and impound lakes, which can collapse days to centuries later, and flood mountain valleys for hundreds of kilometers downstream. Landslide deposits on slopes can remobilize during heavy rainfall and evolve into debris flows. Cracks and fractures can form and widen on mountain crests and flanks, promoting increased frequency of landslides that lasts for decades. More gradual impacts involve the flushing of excess debris downstream by rivers, which can generate bank erosion and floodplain accretion as well as channel avulsions that affect flooding frequency, settlements, ecosystems, and infrastructure. Ultimately, earthquake sequences and their geomorphic consequences alter mountain landscapes over both human and geologic time scales. Two recent events have attracted intense research into earthquake‐induced landslides and their consequences: the magnitude M 7.6 Chi‐Chi, Taiwan earthquake of 1999, and the M 7.9 Wenchuan, China earthquake of 2008. Using data and insights from these and several other earthquakes, we analyze how such events initiate processes that change mountain landscapes, highlight research gaps, and suggest pathways toward a more complete understanding of the seismic effects on the Earth's surface.show moreshow less

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Author details:Xuanmei FanORCiD, Gianvito ScaringiORCiD, Oliver KorupORCiDGND, A. Joshua WestORCiD, Cees J. van WestenORCiD, Hakan TanyasORCiD, Niels HoviusORCiDGND, Tristram C. HalesORCiD, Randall W. JibsonORCiD, Kate E. AllstadtORCiD, Limin Zhang, Stephen G. Evans, Chong Xu, Gen Li, Xiangjun Pei, Qiang Xu, Runqiu Huang
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/2018RG000626
ISSN:8755-1209
ISSN:1944-9208
Title of parent work (English):Reviews of geophysics
Subtitle (English):Patterns, Mechanisms, and Impacts
Publisher:American Geophysical Union
Place of publishing:Washington
Publication type:Review
Language:English
Date of first publication:2019/05/07
Publication year:2019
Release date:2021/01/26
Tag:continental earthquakes; debris flows; earthquake-induced landslides; geohazards; landscape evolution; sediment cascade
Volume:57
Issue:2
Number of pages:83
First page:421
Last Page:503
Funding institution:Funds for Creative Research Groups of ChinaScience Fund for Creative Research Groups [41521002]; National Science Fund for Outstanding Young Scholars of ChinaNational Natural Science Foundation of ChinaNational Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars [41622206]; International Cooperation Grant (NSFC-RCUK_NERC) Resilience to Earthquake-induced landslide risk in China [41661134010]
Organizational units:Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät / Institut für Umweltwissenschaften und Geographie
DDC classification:5 Naturwissenschaften und Mathematik / 55 Geowissenschaften, Geologie / 550 Geowissenschaften
Peer review:Referiert
Publishing method:Open Access / Hybrid Open-Access
License (German):License LogoCC-BY - Namensnennung 4.0 International
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