Brief Description:

CRISIS includes a back-analysis component that utilizes mapped landslide inventories from past events (storms or earthquakes) to estimate shear strengths. These back-calculated strengths can then inform the forward modeling of future events, particularly valuable in large or remote areas where extensive field and lab testing are difficult to conduct.

We applied this approach to 788 landslides triggered by Hurricane Maria in Utuado, Puerto Rico. The back-analysis was performed twice: first using only the mapped areas and locations of landslides and then incorporating the mapped volumes as well. This allowed us to evaluate the added value of constraining the back-analysis not only with location and area but also volume data, which is often unavailable due to the challenges involved in accurately measuring mapped landslide volumes. 

Key Takeaway:

Including landslide volumes significantly reduces uncertainty in the estimated shear strengths and improves the ability to model more realistic failures.