USING SEQUENTIAL LIDAR DATA TO IDENTIFY AND MONITOR LANDSLIDES IN KENTON AND CAMPBELL COUNTIES IN NORTHERN KY

Direct costs of landslide remediation such as road repairs in the State of Kentucky exceed 10 million per year. Translational and rotational mass movements in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky occur frequently in colluvium derived from the Ordovician-aged Kope formation, in glacial deposits and in anthropogenic fill. While these are a well-known natural hazard in the region they are difficult to catalog and monitor because of the steep forested slopes that characterize the region. In this study elevation difference maps derived from sequential LiDAR data flown in 2007 and 2012 are used to identify and inventory previously uncataloged landslides and to monitor known landslide locations. Elevation change maps allow the detection of areas that have lost elevation (scarps) adjacent to areas that have gained in elevation (toes). Suspected landslides are either field verified or verified by using historical air photos accessed via Google Earth. The study has thus far examined approximately 20% of Kenton & Campbell counties in which 58 landslides have been identified, 12 of which had been previously reported and cataloged by the Kentucky Geologic Survey, and 46 are newly identified. Of these newly identified mass movements, 6 have been field verified and 31 have been verified using air photos. The size of the mass movements range from 30 ft. long by 30 ft. wide to 350 ft. long and over 600 ft. wide. As the landslides are cataloged, additional attributes such as the direction of movement, elevation loss and gain, landslide type, date of movement and remedial methods observed are recorded for use in further studies. With a good landslide inventory, citizens can begin to understand landslides processes, assess risk, and prevent damage from the threats they pose.