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Assessment of high-position glacial valleys in Southeast Tibet, China: an integrated approach using remote sensing, UAV, field investigation, and numerical simulation

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Natural Hazards
Authors:
Congyan Ran
Congyan Ran
Congyan Ran
  • This person is not on ResearchGate, or hasn't claimed this research yet.
Shishu Zhang
Shishu Zhang
Shishu Zhang
  • This person is not on ResearchGate, or hasn't claimed this research yet.
Xinfu Xing at PowerChina Chengdu Engineering Corporation Limited
Xinfu Xing
  • PowerChina Chengdu Engineering Corporation Limited
Haizhu Qu
Haizhu Qu
Haizhu Qu
  • This person is not on ResearchGate, or hasn't claimed this research yet.
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Abstract and Figures

The destabilization of glacial valley deposits in high position poses a substantial risk to both the valleys themselves and the infrastructure located downstream. However, the inherently challenging accessibility of these high-altitude regions complicates the task of conducting thorough stability assessments. This study introduces a comprehensive identification methodology that integrates remote sensing technology with air-ground surveys to investigate the stability of high-position glacial valleys, thereby laying the groundwork for subsequent stability evaluations in areas prone to deformation. To exemplify the effectiveness of this approach, three glacial valleys situated at an average altitude exceeding 4500 m in Basu County, Southeast Tibet, China, were selected for case study analysis. The findings reveal that significant landslide events within these high-position glacial valleys can be discerned by comparing reference points in optical satellite imagery. In the 2# glacial valley, substantial deformation is concentrated along the central axis, whereas in the 1# and 3# glacial valleys, deformation is predominantly observed in the scarp regions, as determined by Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) analysis. The principal sliding zone is identified within the altitudinal transition zone between 4400 and 4700 m. The maximum deformations recorded under a 24-h, 200-year return period rainfall event and a 15-s seismic event with an acceleration of 0.41 g (g = 9.8 m/s²) were 1.66 m and 6.7 m, respectively. This integrated approach provides a practical framework for the investigation of high-position glacial valleys, thereby facilitating the assessment and mitigation of geological hazards in these otherwise inaccessible environments.
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Vol.:(0123456789)
Natural Hazards (2025) 121:7967–7990
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-025-07122-5
ORIGINAL PAPER
Assessment ofhigh‑position glacial valleys inSoutheast
Tibet, China: anintegrated approach using remote sensing,
UAV, field investigation, andnumerical simulation
CongyanRan1,2· ShishuZhang1,2· XinfuXing1 · HaizhuQu2· ZhangleiWu2·
DaZheng3· ZhenhuiPan2· MaohongYao1· KaiZhang1
Received: 8 November 2024 / Accepted: 9 January 2025 / Published online: 20 January 2025
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature B.V. 2025
Abstract
The destabilization of glacial valley deposits in high position poses a substantial risk to
both the valleys themselves and the infrastructure located downstream. However, the inher-
ently challenging accessibility of these high-altitude regions complicates the task of con-
ducting thorough stability assessments. This study introduces a comprehensive identifica-
tion methodology that integrates remote sensing technology with air-ground surveys to
investigate the stability of high-position glacial valleys, thereby laying the groundwork for
subsequent stability evaluations in areas prone to deformation. To exemplify the effective-
ness of this approach, three glacial valleys situated at an average altitude exceeding 4500m
in Basu County, Southeast Tibet, China, were selected for case study analysis. The find-
ings reveal that significant landslide events within these high-position glacial valleys can
be discerned by comparing reference points in optical satellite imagery. In the 2# glacial
valley, substantial deformation is concentrated along the central axis, whereas in the 1# and
3# glacial valleys, deformation is predominantly observed in the scarp regions, as deter-
mined by Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) analysis. The principal slid-
ing zone is identified within the altitudinal transition zone between 4400 and 4700m. The
maximum deformations recorded under a 24-h, 200-year return period rainfall event and
a 15-s seismic event with an acceleration of 0.41g (g = 9.8m/s2) were 1.66m and 6.7m,
respectively. This integrated approach provides a practical framework for the investigation
of high-position glacial valleys, thereby facilitating the assessment and mitigation of geo-
logical hazards in these otherwise inaccessible environments.
Keywords High-position glacial valley· Remote sensing· InSAR· Geological survey·
Stability analysis
* Xinfu Xing
xing_xinfu1992@163.com
1 Institute ofStrategic Emerging Industries, PowerChina Chengdu Engineering Corporation Limited,
Chengdu610072, China
2 International Engineering Department, PowerChina Chengdu Engineering Corporation Limited,
Chengdu610072, China
3 State Key Laboratory ofGeohazard Prevention andGeoenvironment Protection, Chengdu
University ofTechnology, Chengdu610059, China
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