IDENTIFICATION OF SLOPE-FAILURE PRONE AREAS IN GUERNSEY COUNTY, OHIO, USING A SIMPLE GEOSPATIAL MODEL

Southeastern Ohio is prone to slope-failure, causing destruction to infrastructure, personal property, public works and natural areas. Understanding the geological factors affecting slope-failure in this region will aid in planning for future land use and development. Creation of a simple geospatial model allowed for the prediction of slope-failure prone areas. The model was based on Digital Elevation Models (DEM) provided by the United States Geological Survey (USGS) as well as regional soil data from the United States Department of Agriculture STATSGO soils database.

Areas of interest were identified as those with slopes greater than 15 degrees. This accounts for approximately 10% (134 km2) of Guernsey County, Ohio (1368 km2). Randomly selected areas indicated as “high-risk” were surveyed to test the accuracy of the simple model. These areas were surveyed for the presence of slope-failure features and other factors such as soil properties, engineering efforts, proximity to streams and roads as well as aspect were collected. The qualitative model was then expanded to include these factors in identifying areas at risk for slope-failure in Guernsey County, Ohio. Maps indicating slope, stream locations, infra-structure and soil properties were created to illustrate areas defined as “high-risk”.