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The Carpathians: Integrating Nature and Society Towards Sustainability pp 31–44Cite as

Landslide Susceptibility Assessment: GIS Application to a Complex Mountainous Environment

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Part of the book series: Environmental Science and Engineering ((ENVSCIENCE))

Abstract

This study attempts to quantify landslide susceptibility in the upper Putna River basin in the Romanian Carpathians Bend using GIS techniques and logistic regression. First, a detailed landslide inventory was carried out and a GIS database was built, comprising potential predictors of landslide occurrence. The GIS database included 11 quantitative predictors, mostly geomorphometric parameters, and 4 qualitative predictors which were transformed into quantitative variables using landslide density approach. The logistic regression analysis, combined with a stepwise selection of the predictors, showed that landslide occurrence is best explained by slope inclination class, altitude, soil class, distance to drainage network and surface geology. The results show that the potentially unstable terrains, displaying high and very high landslide susceptibility values, cover an area about 3 times greater than the mapped landslide area.

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Acknowledgments

This study was carried out with financial support from the project POSDRU/89/1.5/S/49944 coordinated by „Al. I. Cuza” University of Iaşi, Romania. The authors wish to thank the reviewers whose comments and corrections were extremely useful for the improvement of the chapter.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geography Department, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iaşi, Carol I Blvd., no. 20A, 700505, Iasi, Romania

    Adrian Grozavu, Sergiu Pleşcan, Cristian Valeriu Patriche, Mihai Ciprian Mărgărint & Bogdan Roşca

  2. Iaşi Branch, Geography Team, Romanian Academy, Carol I blvd., no. 8, 700505, Iasi, Romania

    Cristian Valeriu Patriche & Bogdan Roşca

Authors
  1. Adrian Grozavu
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  2. Sergiu Pleşcan
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  3. Cristian Valeriu Patriche
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  4. Mihai Ciprian Mărgărint
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  5. Bogdan Roşca
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Adrian Grozavu .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Inst. Geography & Spatial Management, Jagiellonian University Inst. Geography & Spatial Management, Krakow, Poland

    Jacek Kozak

  2. Inst. Geography & Spatial Management, Jagiellonian University Inst. Geography & Spatial Management, Krakow, Poland

    Katarzyna Ostapowicz

  3. Forest Fire Laboratory, Pacific Southwest Research Station, Riverside, USA

    Andrzej Bytnerowicz

  4. Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Nature Conservation, Krakow, Poland

    Bartłomiej Wyżga

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Grozavu, A., Pleşcan, S., Patriche, C.V., Mărgărint, M.C., Roşca, B. (2013). Landslide Susceptibility Assessment: GIS Application to a Complex Mountainous Environment. In: Kozak, J., Ostapowicz, K., Bytnerowicz, A., Wyżga, B. (eds) The Carpathians: Integrating Nature and Society Towards Sustainability. Environmental Science and Engineering(). Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-12725-0_4

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