ENGIlNEER.

IING
GEOLOGY
ELSEVIER Engineering Geology 44 (1996) 147-161

Landslide susceptibility mapping of the slopes in the residual soils

of the Mengen region (Turkey) by deterministic stability analyses
and image processing techniques
C. Grkceoglu, H. Aksoy *
Hacettepe University, Department of GeologicalEngineering, 06532 Beytepe-Ankara, Turkey
Received 26 September 1995; accepted 5 April 1996

Abstract

The aim of the present study is to prepare a landslide susceptibility map of a region of about 120 km 2, between
G6kcesu and Pazarkry (around Mengen, N W Turkey) at approximately 10 km north of the North Anatolian Fault
Zone, where frequent landslides occur. For this purpose, mechanisms of the landslides were studied by two-dimensional
stability analyses together with field observations, and the parameters controlling the development of such slides were
identified. Field observations indicated that the failures generally developed within the unconsolidated and/or semi-
consolidated soil units in forms of rotational, successive shallow landslides within the weathered zone in Mengen,
Cukurca and Sazlar formations. Although consisting of residual soils, Capak and Grkdag formations do not exhibit
landslides as the natural slopes formed on these, do not exceed the critical slope angles. Statistical evaluations and
distribution of the landslides on the topographical map showed that such parameters as cohesion, angle of internal
friction, slope, relative height, orientation of slopes, proximity to drainage pattern, vegetation cover and proximity to
major faults were the common features on the landslides. Digital images were obtained to represent all these
parameters on gray scale on the SPOT image and on the digital elevation model (DEM) of the area using image
processing techniques. Soil mechanics tests were carded out on 36 representative samples collected from different
units, and parameters were determined for two-dimensional stability analyses basing on "sensitivity approach" and
for the preparation of digital shear strength map. In order to determine the critical slope angle values for the residual
soils, a series of sensitivity analyses were realized by using two-dimensional deterministic slope stability analyses
techniques for varying values of cohesion, angle of internal friction and slope height along with varying saturation
conditions. According to the results of the sensitivity analyses, the Mengen formation was found to be most susceptible
unit to landslides, covering about 33.5% of the region studied in terms of surface area. The distribution of the critical
slopes were determined by superimposing the critical slope values from sensitivity analyses on slope map of the study
area. On the other hand, iso-cohesion and iso-friction maps were produced by locating the values of cohesion and
internal friction angles in a geographic coordinate system such that they coincide with sample locations on the DEM
and by further interpolation of the values concerned. The pixel values were evaluated in gray scale from 0 to 255, 0
representing the lowest pixel value and 255 representing the highest. Sensitivity analyses on cohesion and angle of
internal friction to investigate the effects of these parameters only on stability, revealed that cohesion was effective at
a rate of 70% by itself, while angle of internal friction alone controlled the stability by a rate of 30%. The iso-cohesion
and iso-friction maps previously obtained were digitally combined in these rates and a "shear strength map" was
prepared. The geographic setting of the study area is such that northern slopes usually receive dense precipitation. In

* Corresponding author.

0013-7952/96/$15.00 © 1996 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved

PH S0013-7952 (96) 00066-X
148 C GOkceoglu, H. Aksoy/Engineering Geology 44 (1996) 147-161

relation to this fact, about 42% of the landslides are due north. Thus, a slope orientation map was prepared using
the DEM, and slopes facing north were evaluated as being more susceptible to sliding. Proximity to the drainage
pattern was another important factor in the evaluation, as streams could adversely affect the stability by either eroding
the toe or saturating the slope, or both. When considered together, in conjunction with the field observations, faults
and landslides showed a close association. In the area, about 88% of the landslides were detected within an area
closer than 250 m to major faults, therefore, a main discontinuity map was produced using the SPOT image of the
region, and "proximity to major faults" was evaluated as a parameter as most of the landslides developed in areas
where the vegetation was rather sparse. A vegetation cover map was therefore obtained from the SPOT image, and
the areas with denser vegetation were considered to be less susceptible to sliding with respect to the areas with less or
no vegetation. Having prepared the maps accounting for the distribution of critical slopes, shear strength properties,
relative height, slope angle, orientation of the slopes, vegetation cover, proximity to the drainage pattern, geographic
corrections were carried on each of these, and a potential failure map was obtained for the residual soils by
superimposing all these maps. Next, a classification was performed on the final map and five relative zones of
susceptibility were defined. When compared with this map, all of the landslides identified in the field were found to
be located in the most susceptible zone. The performance of the method used in processing the images appears to be
quite high, the zones determined on the map being the zones of relative susceptibility.

Key words." Landslide susceptibility; Mapping; Residual soils; Mengen region (Turkey); Deterministic stability analyses;
Image processing techniques

1. Introduction soil units in the forms of rotational, successive

Landslide susceptibility maps are of great help
to planners and engineers for choosing suitable
locations to implement development schemes in
any area. The landslide susceptibility mapping
depicts division of land surface into zones of
varying degree of stability based on the estimated
significance of the causative factors in inducing
instability (Anabalagan, 1992). The important
factors influencing the stability of slopes are
geomechanical parameters, proximity to main
faults, relative relief, relative altitude, lithology,
vegetation cover, slope angle and height, and road
density (Pachauri and Pant, 1992). The aim of the
present study was to prepare a landslide suscepti-
bility map of a region of about 120 km 2, between
G6kcesu and Pazark6y (around Mengen, N W
Turkey). The study area lies approximately 10 km
north of the North Anatolian Fault Zone where
landslides frequently occur.
For the purpose of the study, the mechanisms
of the instabilities were studied by two-dimensional
stability analyses together with field observations,
and parameters controlling the development of
such slides were identified. Field observations indi-
cated that the failures generally occurred within
the unconsolidated and/or slightly consolidated
shallow landslides.
The lithology was previously used as an input
parameter in landslide hazard mapping (Mehrotra
et al., 1991; Anabalagan, 1992; Juang et al., 1992).
Pachauri and Pant (1992) have put forward the
relationships between the joints and slope orienta-
tions in the stability of rock slopes. According to
Berggren et al. (1991), two of the important
parameters affecting stability are shearing parame-
ters (c and ~) of the lithologies forming the slope.
In the present study, the SPOT image, and the
digital elevation model ( D E M ) prepared from
1/25 000 scaled topographical maps of the area
were used in the image processing. The geomechan-
ical parameters of the residual soils at the site were
determined on 36 undisturbed samples taken from
field, in accordance with the procedures suggested
by ASTM (1985). The effects of cohesion and
internal friction angle on the factor of safety were
investigated and the critical slope angles and
heights for the slopes were determined by two-
dimensional stability analyses basing on "sensitiv-
ity approach". These values were combined with
the slope map of the area to obtain the distribution
of the critical regions. In addition, inclination and
height of slope, slope orientation and drainage
characteristics maps were prepared using the digi-
 C GOkceoglu, I-1.Aksoy/Engineering Geology 44 (1996) 147-161
tal elevation model, while the proximity to the
main faults and vegetation cover maps were
derived using the SPOT image by image processing
techniques.
2. General characteristics of the study area
The study area covers about 120 km 2 between
G6kcesu and Pazark6y, northwest Turkey
(Fig. 1), approximately 10 km north of the North
Anatolian Fault Zone. There are no major cities
within the study area except Mengen town, but
numerous small villages are scattered around.
The topography of the study area is generally
steep to rough, cut by deep valleys. The prominent
hills in the investigated area include Dikmentepe
(1153 m), Tinaztepe (1132 m), Elmacikbasitepe
( 1235 m), and Eglidikmenitepe ( 1135 m). Average
elevation ranges between 800 and 1250 m.
The main stream in the area is the Ulusu. In
Fig. 1. Location map of the study area.
149
addition, there are many subdiary intermittent
streams flowing only after rainy periods. The prin-
cipal roads in the area are those connecting
Pazarkry-Grkcesu and Gerede-Karabiak-
Zonguldak (see Fig. 1).
The area is generally covered by dense vegetation
and possesses a sub-parallel drainage pattern.
Average annual precipitation is 1000 mm; the tem-
perature varies between - 5 and 25°C (D.S.I.,
1986). Typical Western Black Sea climate prevails
in the region.
3. Geological characteristics of the site
The study area is located at the western part of
the Pontides. The area is limited by the North
Anatolian Fault Zone from the south and by the
Bolu Massif from the west. The soils and heavily
crushed rocks behaving like soils in the site have
been investigated in this study. The soils located
at the study area are of residual character. Field
studies showed that the soils in the study area
were the weathering products of the formations
over which they lie, thus usually including angular
blocks of the same composition. Therefore, the
formation names used in previous studies were
also kept in this study instead of assigning new
names.
In the stratigraphic succession, the basement
rocks consists of metamorphic and plutonic units
of the Paleozoic age (Cerit, 1983) observed in the
northwest and south parts of the study area. The
Capak formation of Devonian age (Cerit, 1983)
consists of recrystallized limestones and uncon-
formably covers the basement. The Eocene lime-
stones, called the Grkdag formation, appear in
the western part of the study area and unconform-
ably lie over the Capak formation. The Sazlar
formation, consisting of limestones, the Cukurca
formation, represented by siltstone, sandstone and
limestone alternation, and the youngest formation
at the site, the Mengen formation, which includes
consolidated and semi-consolidated conglomer-
ates, are the conformable rock units in the strati-
graphic succession from Late Paleocene to Early
Oligocene (Cerit, 1983).
Many strike-slip and thrust faults are typical in
the study area. The direction of strike slip faults
 c~

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( D t o r i [ c a n d graasadiortcc)
1~4k~¢amorphic ~ c k s
(Qua~te - re,ca schist
ilttn)l¢Ion) 4~
4~

Formation boundary

Thrust fault
Stnke-slip fault
". ~. 0
Settlement
0 ¢ A Hill

/,526 Road
-.I' Landslide

0 0.5 l k m
Fig. 2. Geological map of th~ ~tudy area (modified from CcrJt, 1983).
 C. Grkceoglu, H. Aksoy/Engineering Geology 44 (1996) 147-161 151

is generally NW-SE, while that of thrust faults is sensitivity approach, preparation of DEM, and
NE-SW (see Fig. 2). At ten different locations in image processing techniques (Fig. 3).
different formations, strike and dip measurements Field observations in the study area revealed
of joints were carried out. About 140 measure- that all landslides occurred in the residual soils of
ments were taken at each location. The measure- the Sazlar, Cukurca and Mengen formations. The
ments showed that the joints dipped NE and NW. percentage distribution of landslides in these for-
All these directions belonging to the structural mations is shown in Fig. 4. In order to evaluate
elements are in accordance with the tectonic regime the distribution, and the orientation of the land-
of the North Anatolian Fault Zone. slide statistically, neighbouring regions with similar
geological properties were also examined.
Statistical evaluations and distribution of the land-
4. Methodology slides shown on the geological map (see Fig. 2)
indicated that shear strength parameters (c and if),
The study for potential susceptibility zonation slope angle, relative height, orientation of slopes,
consisted of field studies, soil mechanics laboratory proximity to the drainage pattern, vegetation cover
tests, two-dimensional stability analyses using the and proximity to main faults are the major features

Imm woRKI ILAB.WORKANDANALYSES] [DIGffALDATAPROCESSING[

I

T ! I dizitize c, ~ I ISPOTImm~e~.
field ob~n~tion E i 1
I afthe Imnd¢li t i

d ~ > soil mechanics! i ~ slope ~- --

I,, ,e.I I rQlat~

hell~ht ~-
t hillside
nt4~ntluri~
~_

~)btain c, *, ~ ....
/

T
limit-equilibrium I
Istabilitytanal~esI

an~les
critical slope F
J
............ ' ................... 1 ...............
[
.........................................................
[ dim'ibufion of"
critical slopes
I =

ItaSDSUSu u uml
Fig. 3. Schematic representation of the investigation phases.
152 C. G6kceoglu, H. Aksoy/Engineering Geology 44 (1996) 147-161
Fig. 4. Pie diagram illustrating distribution of the landslides
with respect to the formations at the study area.
contributing to the instabilities in the area. All
these parameters were derived on a gray scale by
attributing pixel values between 0 and 255 to the
SPOT image, and the digital elevation model
(DEM) of the study area using image processing
techniques, and the results of soil mechanics tests
in conjunction with two-dimensional stability
analyses. The maximum susceptibility value for
any feature was assigned a pixel value of 0 while
the value for the least susceptible corresponded to
a pixel value of 255.
5. Landslide susceptibility mapping
The parameters used for the preparation of the
landslide susceptibility map were obtained using
soil mechanics laboratory tests, limit-equilibrium
stability analyses, a digital elevation model and
SPOT imaging. As explained in the previous sec-
tion, the factors that could cause landslides in the
area were determined and used as input parameters
of equal importance in the preparation of the
landslide susceptibility map. These parameters
were then combined to produce the final landslide
susceptibility map. The schematic representation
of the investigation phases is shown in Fig. 3.
Table 1
Variation of some geomechanical parameters of residual soils
in the study area
Geomechanical parameter Max. Min. No. of data
Unit weight, 7 (kN/m3) 20 14.4 36
Cohesion, c (kPa) 18.6 3.9 36
Int. friction angle, dp (°) 17 4 36
5.1. The map based on shear strength parameters
In studies carried out by Cascini et al. (1991),
Chang ( 1991 ), Mehrotra et al. ( 1991 ), Anabalagan
(1992), Guillande et al. (1993), geological proper-
ties were used for the preparation of landslide
hazard maps. In this study, shear strength parame-
ters (c and d~) (Table 1) which were determined
from the shear box tests performed on 36 represen-
tative soil samples collected in the field were also
incorporated in the landslide susceptibility map.
Direct shear tests were applied on undisturbed
samples of 60 × 60 x 20 mm, recovered from block
samples collected in the field and parrafinned in
situ. The pressure exerted by groundwater and by
the water in tension cracks decreases the normal
stress along the shear surface and contributes to
the driving forces, affecting thus adversely the
stability of a slope. Percolation of surface waters
into the soil may soften the material especially
during heavy rainfall periods and, therefore, may
cause a decrease in the effective shear strength of
the soil. Pore water pressures developed in clayey
soils may be released through a long drainage
process and, in relation, may tend to stabilize,
decreasing the effective shear strength of the soil.
Bearing in mind that the residual soils in the
investigated area contain considerable amounts of
clay, and that the majority of the landslides were
seen in such soils, stability analyses for the present
study were considered for the long-term stability
conditions. For this reason, consolidated-drained
shear strength tests were carried out on the soil
samples at a constant shearing rate of
0.05 mm/min, in a deformation-controlled shear
box that can record residual stress, in accordance
with the standards proposed by ASTM (1985).
For the purpose of the study, iso-cohesion and
 C GOkceoglu, H. Aksoy/Engineering Geology 44 (1996) 147-161 153

(a) (b)
I.I

1.6 1.4-
~15'
4=10'
~
0
1.4

1.0
4=5' l.l-

I.t- ;22
~ 0.1
t~ e J .
,,~ 0.6
t4.
0.4
~°
OJ

2 5 tO 15 15
' o.~
I
o.ta
I
ear o26
I I
t4s
I
eJ4
I
o.63

Cohesion, c (kPa) tan ~b

Fig. 5, Sensitivityanalyses results based on the shear strength parameters. (a) Factor of safety versus cohesion; (b) factor of safety
versus angle of internal friction.

iso-friction maps were prepared by plotting the
values of cohesion and internal friction angles on
a geographic coordinate system. Relationships
between the pixel values (PV), the cohesion (c)
and the angle of internal friction (~b), could be
expressed as P V = 1 7 . 3 5 c - 6 7 . 5 5 and P V =
19.62~b-78.6 for cohesion and internal friction
angle, respectively, with a correlation coefficient
of 0.93 for both. Sensitivity analyses performed
for different values of cohesion and angle of
internal friction to investigate the effects of these
parameters on the stability (Fig. 5), revealed that
cohesion was effective at a rate of 70% by itself,
while the angle of internal friction alone controlled
the stability by a rate of 30%. These rates were
obtained by carrying out stability analyses for
various slope geometries, with slope angles
between 20 and 60 °, and unit weight values

(a) (b) (c)

x 0.70 I x 0.30

iso-cohesion iso-friction shear s t r e n g t h

m a p o f the soils
in the a r e a

lower strength higher strength

soil soil
Fig. 6. Iso-cohesion(a), iso-friction(b) and shear strength map of the residual soils in the area.
 • i s ~ d.y O d m ~ ~.,,.}.m , U ~ b) sn~ c~oqCuJm~ r,,,.), mmr,n~d ~ S,m~ d w (s,=~ 5m.).mum=u~
3~ 3[
I

\ 2.5

z 21

F J~l t.5
F F I~I

iF i

1,5

_ _ _ _ _ L I oL • I [ 1 i l i
o
llO 0 I~ 30 3# N ~0 ~0 ?0 8~ 16 ~0 3! 40 50 K 70 80
eo

0 .s~ d~, pV,,. p,,n o~ f~,~.}, ,st. s) S u d y sot pres. pint of mut.), mr.
4,

I
\
Slopeheight
F 't
i
" ' - 20m

q - 40m

+60m
I
--B- 80 m
1 J I i [ I Oi I I I I I i L I I I I
ii 2o 3o 4o 5o N 70 N O 10 30 30 40 50 N 70 80 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 ?0 80
Ge ct"
Fig. 7. Graphs showing the variation of factor of safety with slope angle and slope height under saturated conditions.
 C. G6keeoglu, H. Aksoy/Engineering Geology 44 (1996) 147-161 155

6~ao

IRelatively
~susceptible
~ Relatively
~afe

! lkm
|
Fig. 8. Zonation of critical slopes on the study area.

between 14 and 20 kN/m 3, to represent most soil
slope conditions. The iso-cohesion (Fig. 6a) and
iso-friction (Fig. 6b) maps previously obtained
were then digitally combined in these rates (i.e.,
70 and 30%) and a "shear strength map" was
prepared (Fig. 6).
5.2. Analyses for the distribution of critical slopes
For the determination of critical slope angles in
the residual soils, a series of sensitivity analyses
were performed by using two-dimensional slope
stability analysis technique (Bishop, 1955) for the
156 C GOkceoglu, H. Aksoy/Engineering Geology 44 (1996) 147-161
50
40
30 ¸
~. ~o
0-I0 10-20 ~-30 30-40 >40
Slope Angles (degrees)
Fig. 9. Histogram showing frequency of slopes as related to
slope angles.
different values of cohesion, angle of internal fric-
tion and slope height for drained and saturated
groundwater conditions. The method uses the
factor of safety as the ratio of resisting forces to
the driving forces acting on a circular mass of soil
on a potential failure surface. The relationship is
governed by the shear strength parameters (c and
dp) and the unit weight (y) of the material for a
given geometry of slope. The variation of the slope
angle versus factor of safety derived from the two-
dimensional stability analyses for varying slope
heights are given in Fig. 7a-g.
The Mengen formation which was found to be
the unit most susceptible to landslides in the study
site, covers about 33.5% of the region investigated
in terms of its surface area. The distribution of the
critical slopes were determined by superimposing
the critical slope values obtained from sensitivity
analyses on the slope map, using a computer
programme developed by GOkceoglu (1993). It is
evident from the map showing the critical slopes
(Fig. 8), that slope values of the topographic sur-
41
J.
I(
G
N NE Nil E II ~ Sll S
Olimllm~a of m ~al~
Fig. 10. Comparison of orientation of the landslides and natu-
ral slopes.
faces in the area exceed the critical slope values in
4% of the total surface area under saturated condi-
tions. This situation indicates that there is a good
agreement between these results and the landslides
that occurred in the investigated area.
5.3. Slope angle
In previous studies (Shabai, 1987; Westen and
Bonilla, 1990; Berggren et al., 1991; Kasa et al.,
1991; Anabalagan, 1992; Juang et al., 1992;
Pachauri and Pant, 1992), slope angle had been
used as an input parameter for the preparation of
landslide hazard or susceptibility map. The land-
slides appearing in study area occurred at locations
where slope angles exceed 20 ° . Based on the statis-
tics of the data derived from the slope map which
was obtained from the DEM, most of the slope
angles are below 20 ° (Fig. 9), while the maximum
slope angle in the area is 56 ° .
 C. G6kceoglu,H. Aksoy/Engineering Geology44 (1996) 147-161 157

A for height, the higher one will be more susceptible

40
IJ to landsliding. Thus, in this context a relative
height map was prepared using the DEM.
~35
eN
ueme 5.6. Proximity to drainage pattern
t~

t~ As explained in the previous sections, one of the

m

ea~ important factors controlling the stability of slopes

is the degree of saturation. Proximity of a slope
/----3 to the drainage pattern is another important factor
O2o
in such evaluations. Streams may adversely affect
q,i the stability by either eroding the toe or saturating
15 the slope, or both. Considering this fact, a drainage
pattern map was prepared using the DEM, to be
io used as another input parameter for the prepara-
tion of a complete landslide susceptibility map.
5
5. 7. Vegetation

0-50 50-100 100-150 lfi0-200 >200
Distance from main faults (m)
Fig. 11. Relationship betweenthe landslides and distance from
the major faults.
5.4. Slope orientation
Degree of saturation of the slope-forming mate-
rial is another major factor controlling the occur-
rence of landslides. The northern slopes in the
study site usually receive dense precipitation
(D.S.I., 1986; Gafur et al., 1982). Therefore, the
slopes facing to the north are highly susceptible to
landslides. As a result, 42% of the landslides
observed in the area dip towards north (Fig. 10).
Thus, a slope orientation map was prepared using
the DEM, and slopes facing to the north were
evaluated as being more susceptible to landsliding.
5.5. Relative height
The vertical distance between the crest and toe
of a slope has been used as an input parameter by
Anabalagan (1992). In fact, the sensitivity analyses
performed in this study showed that the factor of
safety was reduced with increase in slope height.
Therefore, comparing two slopes having identical
geomechanical and geometrical parameters except
According to Greenway (1987), vegetation roots
penetrate throughout the soils and increase their
shear strength. Cerit et al. (1988) and G6kceoglu
(1993) reported that the majority of the major
landslides in the study area occurred in the areas
where the vegetation was rather sparse. A vegeta-
tion cover map was, therefore, considered to be
necessary and prepared from the XS1 and XS2
spectral bands of the SPOT image of the area. For
this purpose, the regions with denser vegetation
were considered to be less susceptible to landsliding
when compared to the areas with less or no
vegetation.
5.8. Proximity to major faults
Gupta and Joshi (1990) showed that 33% of the
landslides occurring in the Ramganga region of
the Himalayas, India, were located at a distance
of 1 km from the fault systems. The site studied,
being situated about 10 km north of an active
plate boundary, the North Anatolian Fault Zone,
comprises several faults developed in various char-
acters and directions. Field observations indicated
that a greater majority of the landslides in the
region developed in areas very close to the faults.
On the other hand, a statistical evaluation of the
distribution of the existing landslides on previous
regional geological maps showed that about 88%
158 C. GOkceoglu, H. Aksoy/Engineering Geology 44 (1996) 147-161

Landscape
susceptibility
map

Shear strength map

Map ot"critical angle

distribution

Slope map

:Slope orientation map

Relative height map

Map of proximity
to drainage pattern

Vegetation map

Map of proxhn~ty
to major faults

Fig. 12. Schematic representation of the derivation of final landslide susceptibilitymap.

 C G6kceoglu, H. Aksoy/Engineering Geology 44 (1996) 147-161 159

4539

r~

452(
416 426
lml

Fig. 13. Final landslide susceptibility map obtained for the study area.
160 C Grkceoglu, H. Aksoy/Engineering Geology 44 (1996) 147-161
of these were identified to occur in areas closer
than 250 m to the major faults (Fig. 11).
Therefore, a fault map was prepared using the
SPOT image of the region, and "proximity to the
major faults" was evaluated as another susceptibil-
ity parameter.
5.9. Groundwater conditions
When the failure surfaces of the landslides were
examined in the field, it was seen that almost all
of these surfaces were moist. However, no ground-
water discharges were observed close to the land-
slides. On the other hand no direct evaluation of
the groundwater table could be assessed as no
drillhole data were available. Therefore, ground-
water was not included as a parameter in this
study. Inclusion of data on groundwater condi-
tions may however improve the quality of the
work performed.
5.10. Production of final map
Having prepared the maps accounting for the
distribution of critical slopes, shearing strength,
degree of slope, relative height, orientation of the
slopes, vegetation cover, proximity to the drainage
pattern and to the main discontinuities, geographic
corrections were carried out on each of these, and
a landslide susceptibility map (Fig. 12) was
obtained for the residual soils by superimposing
all these maps using the ERDAS (1991 ) computer
programme. In superimposing the previously pre-
pared maps, different weighting factors were ini-
tially applied for the contribution of each of these.
When the distribution of the actual landslides in
the field and the so-prepared maps were compared,
the most realistic approach was to attribute equal
weight to each map. Next, a classification was
performed on the final map and five relative zones
of susceptibility were defined (Fig. 13).
6. Results and conclusions
The following results and conclusions are drawn
from this study:
(a) The landslides observed in the study area are
in the form of successive shallow circular slides;
and occur in unconsolidated and/or semi-consoli-
dated residual soil units.
(b) All the landslides occurred in Mengen,
Cukurca and Sazlar formations. Although Capak
and G6kdag formations along with Plutonic and
Metamorphic units include residual soils, they do
not exhibit instabilities probably because of the
shallow soil cover or simply because the critical
slope angles are not exceeded.
(c) When compared with the so-prepared map,
all of the landslides identified in the field were
found to be located in the most susceptible zone.
As far as the performance of the method used for
processing is concerned, the images appear to be
quite satisfactory, the zones determined on the
map being zones of relative susceptibility.
(d) The method used in this study may be
considered to be quite practical for studying the
relative susceptibility to landslides in comparable
areas.
Acknowledgment
The authors are thankful to Assoc. Prof. Dr.
Resat Ulusay for offering many useful comments
along this study.
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