USING SEQUENTIAL LIDAR TO MONITOR AND CATALOG RECENTLY ACTIVE LANDSLIDES IN KENTON AND CAMPBELL COUNTIES IN NORTHERN KENTUCKY

In this study an elevation change map with a 2 ft. resolution derived from two sets of LiDAR data flown in 2012 and 2007 was used to monitor the activity of known landslides and locate previously uncatalogued active landslides in Kenton & Campbell Counties in Northern Kentucky. Landslides, most commonly thin slides in colluvium derived from the Ordovician Kope formation, are a well-known but costly natural hazard in Cincinnati & Northern Kentucky, but are difficult to catalog and monitor because of the steep forested slopes that characterize the region. A LiDAR survey with a 2 ft. resolution flown in 2007 has been used in several studies to identify areas that likely have landslides based on the overall slope morphology, but because of the noisy data resulting from the steep forested slopes and the generally small scale of most landslides, individual active landslides were only rarely defined. Using elevation change maps derived from successive LiDAR surveys from 2007 and 2012, locations of previously reported and cataloged landslides were observed, and new uncatalogued landslides were searched for. In the initial study area representing 1.6% of Kenton & Campbell counties, six out of ten previously cataloged landslides showed signs of activity, and eight previously uncatalogued landslides were identified. The use of sequential LiDAR in this area of heavy vegetation and steep slopes appears to be a useful tool for monitoring known landslides and for delineating and cataloging new landslides, and will support further study into the character of slope movement in the region.