Distribution and characteristics of landslides induced by the Iwate–Miyagi Nairiku Earthquake in 2008 in Tohoku District, Northeast Japan

Abstract

The Iwate-Miyagi Nairiku Earthquake in 2008, whose seismic intensity was M. 7.2 in Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) scale, induced innumerable landslides on the southern flank of Mt. Kurikoma volcano allocated along the Ou Backbone Range in Northeast Japan. Most landslides are detected in a hanging wall side of the seismic fault. Those landslides are classified into five types: deep-seated slide, debris slide, shallow debris slide, secondary shallow debris slide, and debris flow. Most common landslide types induced by the earthquake are shallow debris slides and subsequent debris flows. They are intensively distributed along steep gorges incising a volcanic skirt of Mt. Kurikoma, consisting of welded ignimbrite of the Pleistocene age. Debris flows are also distributed even along gentle river floors in the southern lower flank of the volcano. The area of densely distributed debris slides, shallow debris slides, and debris flows is concordant with that of severe seismic tremor. Thus, genetic processes of landslides induced by the Iwate-Miyagi Nairiku Earthquake in 2008 are attributed to multiple causative factors such as geology, topography, and seismic force.

Three (nearly) complete inventories of landslides triggered by the May 12, 2008 Wenchuan Mw 7.9 earthquake of China and their spatial distribution statistical analysis

“…Similarly, some inventories of landslides triggered by the Haiti earthquake were also constructed for coseismic landslide spatial distribution analysis and hazard analysis Gorum et al 2013;Harp et al 2011b). The June 14, 2008 Iwate-Miyagi Nairiku earthquake triggered at least 4,161 landslides (Yagi et al 2009), and the May 11, 2011 Mw 5.1 Lorca, SE Spain earthquake triggered more than 250 landslides (Alfaro et al 2012).…”

Landslides triggered by the 3 August 2014 Ludian earthquake in China: geological properties, geomorphologic characteristics and spatial distribution analysis

“…More than 70% of the landslides occurred on the right side of the Xiyuhe-Zhaotong fault from SW to NE. Statistical analysis results of the landslides triggered by the 2008 Iwate-Miyagi Nairiku, Japan earthquake (Mw 6.9) show that more than 4100 landslides occurred on the hanging wall, but almost no landsides on the footwall (Yagi et al 2009). The same result was also found for the landslides triggered by the Wenchuan earthquake; 71% of large landslides were located at the hanging wall side of the seismic fault ).…”

Earthquake Induced a Chain Disasters

“…Some researchers have studied the relationships of landslide distribution with geoenvironmental factors such as lithology, morphology, presence of secondary active or inactive faults (e.g. Chigira and Yagi, 2006;Jibson et al, 2000;Khazai and Sitar, 2003;Keefer, 2000;Yagi et al, 2009). The Wenchuan earthquake induced landslides has been carried out by several researchers.…”