The Relationship between InSAR Coseismic Deformation and Earthquake-Induced Landslides Associated with the 2017 Mw 3.9 Ischia (Italy) Earthquake

Abstract

We investigated the contribution of earthquake-induced surface movements to the ground displacements detected through Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) data, after the Mw 3.9 Ischia earthquake on 21 August 2017. A permanent displacement approach, based on the limit equilibrium method, allowed estimation of the spatial extent of the earthquake-induced landslides and the associated probability of failure. The proposed procedure identified critical areas potentially affected by slope movements partially overlapping the coseismic ground displacement retrieved by InSAR data. Therefore, the observed ground displacement field is the combination of both fault slip and surficial sliding caused by the seismic shaking. These findings highlight the need to perform preliminary calculations to account for the non-tectonic contributions to ground displacements before any estimation of the earthquake source geometry and kinematics. Such information is fundamental to avoid both the incorrect definition of the source geometry and the possible overestimation of the coseismic slip over the causative fault. Moreover, knowledge of the areas potentially affected by slope movements could contribute to better management of a seismic emergency, especially in areas exposed to high seismic and hydrogeological risks.

Keywords

• Ischia earthquake
• InSAR
• landslides
• ground displacements