Temporal development of the displacement field of the Ponzano landslide in February 2017

Abstract

The conducted research determined the temporal evolution of the displacement field for the Ponzano landslide case study. The offset-tracking method, so far used mainly for the relatively rapid but uniform displacement of glaciers, was tested for the 2017 study of the Ponzano landslide in Italy. The suitability of the method for high-resolution TerraSAR-X and medium-resolution Sentinel-1 imagery was investigated. The results proved the applicability of the OT method for studying processes with high and variable displacement dynamics. However, for such purposes, high-resolution radar data are crucial. With an uncertainty in the determination of residual displacements of about ±1 m, it was shown that the values of residual displacements occurring up to several days after the main phase of landslide movements are within the range of uncertainty but are determinable. The research conducted in the paper filled a gap in the analysis of the phenomenon just after the main movement phase. It allowed determination of the time and speed of extinction of landslide movements.