Fractal Structure of Spatial Distribution of Landslides Triggered by November 1994 Heavy Rain in the Piedmont Region (North West Italy) : Veränderungen im Natur- und Kulturhaushalt und ihre Auswirkungen : INTERPRAEVENT

2000

S. 183-189

11 Lit. Ang.

Unselbständiges Werk

200084946

At the beginning of November 1994 an heavy rainfall affected the Piedmont region (North West Italy) triggering many shallow failures (soil slips) and rock block slides. The spatial distribution of the landslides was not homogeneous mainly due to the non-homogeneity of topography, since geology and climate can be assumed as constant. As pointed out by many authors, the two-dimensional spatial distribution of soil slips is expected to have a fractal structure. In this paper, on the basis of a very detailed landslide map obtained by the analysis of aerial photos, the authors have analysed the distribution characteristics of shallow landslides and the fractal dimensions have been estimated by means of the exponential relations between scale of sampling and number of failures. Fractal dimension is very useful in indicating the spatial pattern of failure distribution and as quantitative index of the degree of complexity.