Establishing a Landslide Traces Inventory for the Baota District, Yan’an City, China, Using High-Resolution Satellite Images

Abstract

The Baota District of Yan’an City, located in the Loess Plateau, is an important patriotic education base in China. The region’s fragile geological environment and frequent geological disasters pose significant threats to the production and livelihood of residents. Establishing a landslide traces inventory can provide crucial assistance for studying regional land disaster distribution patterns and implementing disaster prevention and mitigation measures. However, the Baota District has not yet established a comprehensive and detailed landslide traces inventory, resulting in a lack of clear understanding and comprehensive knowledge regarding the threats and impacts of landslide disasters in the area. Therefore, this study employed high-resolution satellite images, applying a human–computer interactive visual interpretation method in conjunction with field survey verifications, to develop the most detailed and comprehensive landslide traces inventory for the Baota District to date. The results indicate that within the 3556 km2 area of the Baota District, there are 73,324 landslide traces, with an average landslide density of 20.62 km-2 and a total landslide area of 769.12 km2, accounting for 21.63% of the total land area. These landslides are relatively evenly distributed throughout the district, with a higher concentration in the east compared to the west. Most of the landslides are small in size. This study can support disaster prevention and mitigation efforts in the Baota District and serve as a reference for establishing landslide inventories in other regions of the Loess Plateau.