Structural Analysis and Multi-Criteria GIS-Based Landslide Susceptibility Mapping Using Analytical Hierarchy Process and Frequency Ratio Model, in Qaiwan, Goizha, Azmer Mountains- NE Iraq

This study aimed to create a landslide susceptibility map for the Qaiwan, Goizha, and Azmer mountains series in northeastern Iraq, especially along the two-lane road network connecting the area to the Iranian border. The region holds significance for ecotourism within the Sulaimaniyah Governorate. Landslide susceptibility was assessed based on three methods. The first structural analysis of discontinuity reveals that the ac and bc set with hk0 > a, hk0 > b, and h0l > c systems are the most dominant discontinuity which acts as a back release and lateral release surfaces and causes the occurrence of different types of the landslide from more to less are wedge sliding, toppling, plane sliding, and rockfall. The second and third are landslide frequency ratio and analytical hierarchy process analyses which encompassing layers of slope, aspect, lithology, altitude, curvature, road network, and stream attributes were generated using remote sensing. These layers were integrated with ArcGIS software to create two maps, the first based on the analytical hierarchy process model and the second based on the landslide frequency ratio model. Landslide susceptibility maps were created and then classified into five zones: very low, low, moderate, high, and very high hazard. The moderate hazard zone covered the largest area (34.6 Km²), while the very high hazard zone was the smallest (5.5 Km²). The overall accuracy of the susceptibility map, assessed using appropriate methods, was approximately 75%, indicating the effectiveness of the employed models.