Earthquake-induced landslides in Norway

<p>Norway is located in an intraplate setting with low-to-moderate seismicity. The mountainous landscape leads to a high level of landside activity throughout the country. Earthquake-induced landslides (EQILs) are common in seismically active areas, but there are only a few studies of EQILs in...

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Main Authors: M. B. Sørensen, T. Haga, A. Nesje
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Copernicus Publications 2023-04-01
Series:Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences
Online Access:https://nhess.copernicus.org/articles/23/1577/2023/nhess-23-1577-2023.pdf
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author M. B. Sørensen
T. Haga
A. Nesje
author_facet M. B. Sørensen
T. Haga
A. Nesje
author_sort M. B. Sørensen
collection DOAJ
description <p>Norway is located in an intraplate setting with low-to-moderate seismicity. The mountainous landscape leads to a high level of landside activity throughout the country. Earthquake-induced landslides (EQILs) are common in seismically active areas, but there are only a few studies of EQILs in intraplate regions. We systematically analyse all earthquakes in Norway with magnitudes <span class="inline-formula">≥</span> 4.5 in the time period 1800–2021 CE. For each event we search for reports of EQILs in the available macroseismic data and in the Norwegian landslide database. We furthermore consider precipitation data from the Norwegian Centre for Climate Services to evaluate the role of precipitation in the triggering of the identified potential EQILs. Through this approach, we identify 22 EQILs that have been triggered by eight earthquakes in the magnitude range 4.5–5.9. The events are widely distributed in northern and southern Norway. The maximum landslide distance limits and landslide-affected areas are much larger than those found in empirical studies of global datasets and are in agreement with data from other intraplate regions. For four of the earthquakes, it seems that landslide triggering was due to a combined effect of precipitation and earthquake ground shaking. Our observations confirm that intraplate earthquakes have the potential to trigger EQILs over large distances, most likely due to the low ground motion attenuation in such regions. Slope susceptibility seems to be another important factor in the triggering. Our conclusions demonstrate the importance of considering EQIL potential in earthquake risk management in intraplate regions.</p>
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spelling doaj.art-dee4a585066947d39d9c256aa204aab22023-04-27T04:48:14ZengCopernicus PublicationsNatural Hazards and Earth System Sciences1561-86331684-99812023-04-01231577159210.5194/nhess-23-1577-2023Earthquake-induced landslides in NorwayM. B. Sørensen0T. Haga1A. Nesje2Department of Earth Science, University of Bergen, Bergen 5020, NorwaySkanska Norge, Bergen 5054, NorwayDepartment of Earth Science, University of Bergen, Bergen 5020, Norway<p>Norway is located in an intraplate setting with low-to-moderate seismicity. The mountainous landscape leads to a high level of landside activity throughout the country. Earthquake-induced landslides (EQILs) are common in seismically active areas, but there are only a few studies of EQILs in intraplate regions. We systematically analyse all earthquakes in Norway with magnitudes <span class="inline-formula">≥</span> 4.5 in the time period 1800–2021 CE. For each event we search for reports of EQILs in the available macroseismic data and in the Norwegian landslide database. We furthermore consider precipitation data from the Norwegian Centre for Climate Services to evaluate the role of precipitation in the triggering of the identified potential EQILs. Through this approach, we identify 22 EQILs that have been triggered by eight earthquakes in the magnitude range 4.5–5.9. The events are widely distributed in northern and southern Norway. The maximum landslide distance limits and landslide-affected areas are much larger than those found in empirical studies of global datasets and are in agreement with data from other intraplate regions. For four of the earthquakes, it seems that landslide triggering was due to a combined effect of precipitation and earthquake ground shaking. Our observations confirm that intraplate earthquakes have the potential to trigger EQILs over large distances, most likely due to the low ground motion attenuation in such regions. Slope susceptibility seems to be another important factor in the triggering. Our conclusions demonstrate the importance of considering EQIL potential in earthquake risk management in intraplate regions.</p>https://nhess.copernicus.org/articles/23/1577/2023/nhess-23-1577-2023.pdf
spellingShingle M. B. Sørensen
T. Haga
A. Nesje
Earthquake-induced landslides in Norway
Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences
title Earthquake-induced landslides in Norway
title_full Earthquake-induced landslides in Norway
title_fullStr Earthquake-induced landslides in Norway
title_full_unstemmed Earthquake-induced landslides in Norway
title_short Earthquake-induced landslides in Norway
title_sort earthquake induced landslides in norway
url https://nhess.copernicus.org/articles/23/1577/2023/nhess-23-1577-2023.pdf
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AT thaga earthquakeinducedlandslidesinnorway
AT anesje earthquakeinducedlandslidesinnorway