The Yinshan Mountains Record over 10,000 Landslides

Abstract

China boasts a vast expanse of mountainous terrain, characterized by intricate geological conditions and structural features, resulting in frequent geological disasters. Among these, landslides, as prototypical geological hazards, pose significant threats to both lives and property. Consequently, conducting a comprehensive landslide inventory in mountainous regions is imperative for current research. This study concentrates on the Yinshan Mountains, an ancient fault-block mountain range spanning east–west in the central Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, extending from Langshan Mountains in the west to Damaqun Mountains in the east, with the narrow sense Xiao–Yin Mountains District in between. Employing multi-temporal high-resolution remote sensing images from Google Earth, this study conducted visual interpretation, identifying 10,968 landslides in the Yinshan area, encompassing a total area of 308.94 km2. The largest landslide occupies 2.95 km2, while the smallest covers 84.47 m2. Specifically, the Langshan area comprises 331 landslides with a total area of 11.96 km2, the narrow sense Xiao–Yin Mountains include 3393 landslides covering 64.13 km2, and the Manhan Mountains, Damaqun Mountains, and adjacent areas account for 7244 landslides over a total area of 232.85 km2. This research not only contributes to global landslide cataloging initiatives but also serves as a robust foundation for future geohazard prevention and management efforts.