36 Advances in understanding landslides and other mass movements
In this session we want to highlight advances in understanding mass movements, including studies focused on description, mapping, monitoring, triggering mechanisms, mitigation, modeling, and evaluating susceptibility.
Wednesday, 11 March 2026
8:30 AM - 10:30 AM
RCC, 105
Bridging Space and Earth for Appalachian Kentucky Landslides: 61-cm LiDAR Inventory, Field Sampling, and Micro-Mineralogy to Strengthen Susceptibility Models
Paper number: 36-3
Program: Technical Sessions
Time: 9:05 AM – 9:20 AM
Authors
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Charlie LowmanWestern Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kentucky
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Nahid GaniWestern Kentucky University, Bowling Green, Kentucky
Abstract
Landslides are persistent and costly geohazards in Appalachian Kentucky, posing considerable risk to infrastructure, human safety, and natural ecosystems. The region’s high landslides susceptibility reflects the combined effects of steep topography, complex geologic history and climate-driven triggers, highlighting the need for more effective hazard and susceptibility mapping. Although recent susceptibility assessments increasingly use GIS-based modeling, many studies still rely on relatively coarse topographic data and rarely incorporate the mineralogical and microstructural properties that influence strength, weathering, and hydrologic response. This project evaluates whether an integrated model utilizing LiDAR-derived topographic data and microscopic mineralogical analysis can improve landslide hazard prediction in the Williamsburg, Kentucky area. Using high resolution (61cm) LiDAR-derived multidirectional hillshades, we generated a preliminary inventory of 107 potential landslide locations identified by diagnostic geomorphic indicators. While many sites remain inaccessible due to steep, hazardous terrain and land-access restrictions, we successfully collected 65 soil and 33 rock samples in December of 2025, from 10 inventoried locations. Ongoing laboratory work will analyze these samples using petrographic, Raman spectroscopy, and Scanning Electron Microscopy with an emphasis on clay mineral assemblages (e,g., smectite, kaolinite, illite) linked to weathering, moisture sensitivity, and mechanical weakening along failure-prone horizons. These micro-mineralogical results will then be integrated with LiDAR-derived geospatial data to improve understanding of the factors controlling landslide susceptibility in the study area. Together, these outcomes highlight the broader impact of the work by showing how high resolution LiDAR can efficiently delineate likely landslide locations and guide targeted sampling in access-limited Appalachian terrain, while micro-scale mineralogical insights enhance susceptibility modeling. The resulting workflow offers a transferable approach for improving landslide hazard mapping and supporting more robust mitigation strategies in Kentucky and similar terrains.
Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol. 58, No. 1
doi: 10.1130/abs/2026SE-411610
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