Earthquake-triggered landslide hazards in the Catania area

Earthquake-triggered landslides represent one of the most important effects of large earthquakes. Then, the evaluation of seismic stability conditions of slopes, embankments and other earth-structures involved in road and railway networks represents an important topic interest in the assessment of regional seismic hazards. In this paper a GIS-based model for prediction of earthquake-triggered landslide hazards for the Catania district (Sicily) is presented. Geological, topographical and geotechnical data were selected and stored in a database; then, using a reliable ground motion scenario, the stability condition of slopes was evaluated in terms of earthquake-induced permanent displacements. The resulting GIS model allowed us to map the potentially instable areas, the spatial distribution of displacements and the damage induced on the main road and railway networks of the area.