Landslide mapping and analysis along the China-Pakistan Karakoram Highway based on SBAS-InSAR detection in 2017

The Karakoram Highway (KKH), a part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), is a major highway connecting northern Pakistan to China. The inventorying and analysis of landslides along KKH are challenging because of poor accessibility, vast study area, limited availability of ground-based datasets, and the complexity of landslide processes in the region. In order to preserve life, property, and infrastructure, and to enable the uninterrupted and efficient operation of the KKH, it is essential to strengthen measures for the prevention and control of geological disasters. In the present study, SBAS-InSAR (Small Baseline Subsets-Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar) was used to process 150 scenes of Sentinel 1-A images in the year 2017 along the Karakoram Highway. A total of 762 landslides, including 57 complex landslides, 126 rock falls, 167 debris slides, and 412 unstable slopes, ranging in size between 0.0017 and 10.63 km 2 were identified. Moreover, this study also gains an inventory of 40 active glacier movements in this region. Landslide categorization, displacements characteristics, spatial distribution, and their relationship with various contributing factors have been successfully investigated along the entire KKH using image interpretation and frequency-area statistics. The criteria adopted for landslides categorization is presented in the study. The results showed that the 2-D ground deformation derived in Hunza valley echoes well with the general regional landslides characteristics. The spatial distribution analysis revealed that there are clumped distributions of landslides in the Gaizi, Tashkurgan, and Khunjerab in China, as well as in Hunza valley, and north of Chilas city in Pakistan. Statistical results indicated that these landslides mainly occur on south-facing slopes with a slope angle of 20°–45° and elevation relief of 550–2,100 m. Landslide development is also related to low vegetation cover and weathering effects in mountain gullies. Overall, our study provides scientific data support and theoretical references for prevention, control, and mitigation of geological disasters in the Karakoram region.