Potential and Limitations of the New European Ground Motion Service in Landslides at a Local Scale

Abstract

Mass movements represent one of the most significant geohazards worldwide. The aim of this research is to highlight the potential and limitations of the European Ground Motion Service (EGMS) in detecting and monitoring mass movements at a local scale, especially in cases where data from in situ instrumental devices are unavailable. The study area corresponds to the La Miera landslide, located in Asturias (NW Spain). The multidisciplinary methodology applied involved the following steps: (1) downloading, acquiring, and analyzing Sentinel-1 A-DInSAR datasets (2015–2021) through the EGMS; (2) conducting a detailed geomorphological map and identifying evidence of movement; (3) classifying building damage by means of a damage inventory; (4) compiling and analyzing daily rainfall records with respect to deformation time series. Sentinel-1 A-DInSAR results revealed maximum LOS and East–West velocities of −11.6 and −7.9 mm/yr related to the landslide activity. Geomorphological mapping allowed for the updating of the landslide boundaries and its characterization as an active, complex movement. Registered building damage, which ranged from moderate to serious, was correlated with LOS and East–West velocities. The displacement recorded by the EGMS closely corresponds with rainfall periods, while periods of reduced rainfall coincide with the stabilization and recovery phases of displacement. This emphasizes a noteworthy quantitative correlation between rainfall events and EGMS data, evident both spatially and temporally. This work highlights that areas in which the EGMS data indicate deformation but lack in situ instrumental records, geomorphological techniques, and building damage surveys can provide spatial validation of the EGMS displacement, while rainfall records can provide temporal validation.