Characterization and Evaluation of Thaw-Slumping Using GPR Attributes in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

Abstract

Due to the impact of climate warming and engineering construction, thaw-slumping has developed extensively along the Qinghai–Tibet Project Corridor. These landslide disasters not only destroy the fragile ecology of the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau but also threaten the security of the Qinghai–Tibet Project Corridor. Because remote-sensing images lack imaging data inside the landslide body, and the excavation of boreholes has blindness and inefficiency, the ground-penetrating radar method with high efficiency and deep imaging has been developed and applied in the detection and treatment of thaw-slumping. To more accurately divide the soil-layered structure of the thaw-slumping body and obtain the key elements of the thaw-slumping such as temperature change trend and relative water content, we propose the use of amplitude event axis tracking and amplitude energy attenuation calculation to divide the fine layering of the thaw-slumping body. In addition, based on layer division, we introduce two attribute parameters to participate in the calculation of relative water content. These two attribute parameters are the weighted average frequency attribute, which reflects the temperature change trend, and the sweetness attribute, which reflects the change in the physical properties of the underground medium. The calculated 3D profile and time slice of the relative water content comprehensively show the change characteristics and enrichment area of the internal relative water content of the thaw-slumping. These methods and results are valuable for the characterization, evaluation, and treatment of thaw-slumping.