Electrical resistivity tomography and statistical analysis in landslide modelling: a conceptual approach

In this paper, we propose a new approach for modelling the development of instabilities in pyroclastic covers induced by rainfall events. The approach is based on high-resolution 2D electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) and on a cellular automaton model aimed to simulate landslide events. A local and time-dependent Factor of Safety of a slope, that depends on electrical resistivity and the slope angle, is introduced. We show the results of a model run on data acquired in a test area of the Campania Region (Italy), where shallow landslides involving pyroclastic soils are very frequent and often triggered by critical rainfall events. The shown example would just emphasize the potentiality of the proposed conceptual model, which integrates geophysical and statistical analyses, in the framework of the landslide hazard, since its validation and calibration is the next step that has to be taken.