| Title | Landslide inventory and susceptibility under current and future permafrost conditions along the Alaska Highway corridor, Yukon Canada |
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| Author | Blais-Stevens, A ;
Kremer, M; Bonnaventure, P; Smith, S; Lipovsky, P; Lewkowicz, A |
| Source | 125th Anniversary Annual Meeting and Exposition, Geological Society of America; Geological Society of America, Abstracts With Programs vol. 45, no. 7, 2013 p. 271  Open Access |
| Links | Online - En ligne
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| Image |  |
| Year | 2013 |
| Alt Series | Earth Sciences Sector, Contribution Series 20130145 |
| Publisher | Geological Society of America |
| Meeting | 125th Anniversary Annual Meeting and Exposition, Geological Society of America; Denver, CO; US; October 27-30, 2013 |
| Document | serial |
| Lang. | English |
| Media | paper; on-line; digital |
| File format | html; pdf |
| Subjects | Nature and Environment |
| Program | Environmental Geoscience environmental impacts and adaptation in the northern environment |
| Released | 2013 10 01 |
| Abstract | The Alaska Highway Corridor in southern Yukon traverses the discontinuous permafrost zone from the Alaska border to British Columbia. The highway is a vital transportation route with 85% of the local
population living along it and a pipeline has also been proposed for the corridor.
Air-photos and high-resolution satellite imagery were utilized to update the landslide inventory and landslide susceptibility modelling was conducted to provide
baseline geoscience information for decision-makers. A total of about 1400 landslides out of 1950 ground hazard features were identified, representing about 1 landslide per 15 km2. Prominent landslide types included debris slides (38%), debris flow
deposits (37%), rock slides (13%), earth slides/flows (6%), rock falls (4%), combined active layer detachment slides (ALD) and retrogressive thaw slumps (RTS) (3%). Other ground hazards identified were thermo-karstic depressions, rock glaciers, and
solifluction.
A qualitative heuristic method was used to develop landslide susceptibility models based on triggering factors and included rockfall/rock slides, debris flows, ALD and RTS. Weighted data layers combined in the model include slope,
aspect, vegetation, surficial or bedrock geology unit, potential incoming solar radiation, distance to drainage or fault and a permafrost probability distribution model. Equilibrium permafrost distribution projected for air temperature increases of
1°C, 2°C, and 5°C, was also incorporated into RTF and ALD susceptibility models to assess the potential impact of climate change on landslide susceptibility. Results indicate that with reduced permafrost extent, there will be fewer zones of high
susceptibility. Although landslide susceptibility maps for warmer conditions give a 'snapsnot' of a potential decrease in zones of high susceptibility, the slope processes that will likely take place as permafrost warms and thaws have not been
considered. As warming occurs, there will likely be more ALD and RTS activity until conditions stabilize following permafrost degradation. |
| Summary | (Plain Language Summary, not published)
This is an abstract submitted for the Oct. 2013 GSA annual meeting. The intention is to present an updated landslide inventory using air-photos and
satellite imagery as well as landslide susceptibility models for debris flows, rockfall/rockslides, active layer detachment slides and retrogressive thaw slumps. Climate change predictions for permafrost distribution were also used to make
predictions on landslide susceptibility models for actice layer detachments as well as retrogressive thaw slumps, two types of landslides triggered in permafrost. |
| GEOSCAN ID | 292791 |
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