Integrating InSAR, ICA, and geophysical models to decipher the kinematics of Huangtupo landslide

The kinematic characteristics of landslides are crucial for understanding their underlying mechanisms. However, many landslides are influenced by multiple factors, posing significant challenges in interpreting their kinematic processes. This study presents a strategy to address these challenges by integrating Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR), Independent Component Analysis (ICA), and geophysical models. The Huangtupo landslide, a typical giant landslide influenced by multiple factors, was selected as the study area due to its significant threat to the safety of residents in the Three Gorges Reservoir area. Using InSAR, the deformation characteristics of the landslide were identified. ICA applied to the InSAR measurements revealed two primary deformation patterns, which were further linked to geomechanical processes using in-situ data. The first independent component indicated that one of the major motions of the landslide was periodic sliding driven by precipitation. The second component suggested that soil swelling and shrinking, induced by changes in precipitation and reservoir water levels, resulted in opposing motion patterns in the front and rear parts of the landslide during annual cycles. The interpretations were subsequently validated using kinematic models. This study concludes that the proposed strategy can be extended to similar applications and offers new insights into the Huangtupo landslide.