Combining seismic signal dynamic inversion and numerical modeling improves landslide process reconstruction

Abstract

Landslides present a significant hazard for humans, but continuous landslide monitoring is not yet possible due to their unpredictability. In recent years, numerical simulation and seismic inversion methods have been used to provide valuable data for understanding the entire process of landslide movement. However, each method has shortcomings. Dynamic inversion based on long-period seismic signals gives the force–time history of a landslide using an empirical Green's function but lacks detailed flowing characteristics for the hazards. Numerical simulation can simulate the entire movement process, but results are strongly influenced by the choice of modeling parameters. Therefore, developing a method for combining those two techniques has become a focus for research in recent years. In this study, we develop such a protocol based on analysis of the 2018 Baige landslide in China. Seismic signal inversion results are used to constrain and optimize the numerical simulation. We apply the procedure to the Baige event and, combined with a field geological survey, show it provides a comprehensive and accurate method for dynamic process reconstruction. We found that the Baige landslide was triggered by detachment of the weathered layer, with severe top fault segmentation. The landslide process comprised four stages: initiation, main slip, blocking, and deposition. Multi-method mutual verification effectively reduces the inherent drawbacks of each method, and multi-method joint analysis improves the rationality and reliability of the results. The approach outlined in this study could help us to better understand the landslide dynamic process.