Landslide hazard zonation of the Khorshrostam area, Iran

Landslide hazard zonation is a method to evaluate the risk where there is the potential for landslides. The factors contributing to the hazard in an area can usually be identified, results of the investigations frequently being presented as a landslide hazard zonation map indicating zones of similar risk of the occurrence of a landslide. Korshrostam is one of the areas most susceptible to landslides in Iran with more than 13% of its surface being affected by landslide activity. The effects include damage or disturbance to villages, farmlands and roads as well as the exacerbation of erosion of the land surface and consequently an increase in the rate of sedimentation in the water flowing into the reservoir of the Manjil dam. The method of landslide zonation used in this study was based on a simple grid unit. A number of factors contributing to the likelihood of landsliding were considered, including lithology, slope, tectonic activity, land use and groundwater. For each grid unit, the incidence of landsliding and an assessment of the likely contributory factors were recorded in terms of a surface percentage index (SPI). A computer program was written using fuzzy sets to calculate the hazard potential index (HPI) for each unit. This was used to prepare the landslide hazard zonation map.