A data mining approach to the relationships between landslides and open-pit mining activity: a case study in Soacha (Cundinamarca)

Abstract

Landslides caused by changes in land use, or by anthropic activities such as open-pit mining, constitute one of the most important socio-economic risk factors in countries with developing economies. This article presents an approach to the relationships between mining activity and the development of landslides in a pilot area located in Soacha, Cundinamarca. Through data mining analysis and the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS), an evaluation of the possible relationships of these factors was carried out, including socioeconomic aspects. From an inventory of open-pit mining sites, the geomechanical characterization of soil and rock units, and the characterization of environmental and social variables, data were obtained to define variables whose relationships were determined by algorithms programmed in the GIS. The results show that there is an indirect relationship between open-pit mining activity and landslides development over the last four decades in the studied zone.