Skip to main content
Springer Nature Link
Log in

Distribution of landslides in southwest New Zealand

  • Original Articles
  • Published:
Landslides Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study examines the size distribution of a regional medium-scale inventory of 778 landslides in the mountainous southwest of New Zealand. The spatial density of mapped landslides per unit area can be expressed as a negative power–law function of Landslide area AL spanning three orders of magnitude (∼10−2–101 km2). Although observed in other studies on landslide inventories, this relationship is surprising, given the lack of absolute ages, and thus uncertainty about the temporal observation window encompassed by the data. Large slope failures (arbitrarily defined here as having a total affected area AL>1 km2) constitute 83% of the total affected landslide area ALT. This dominance by area affects slope morphology, where large-scale landsliding reduces slope angles below the regional modal value of hillslopes, ϕmod∼39°. More numerous smaller and shallower failures tend to be superimposed on the pre-existing relief. Empirical scaling relationships show that large landslides involve >106 m3 of material. The volumes VL of individual preserved and presumably prehistoric (i.e. pre-1840) landslide deposits equate to 100–102 years of total sediment production from shallow landsliding in the respective catchments, and up to 103 years of contemporary regional sediment yield from the mountain ranges. Their presence in an erosional landscape indicates the geomorphic importance of landslides as temporary local sediment storage.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+
from €39.99 /Month
  • Starting from 10 chapters or articles per month
  • Access and download chapters and articles from more than 300k books and 2,500 journals
  • Cancel anytime
View plans

Buy Now

Price includes VAT (Germany)

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10

Similar content being viewed by others

Explore related subjects

Discover the latest articles, books and news in related subjects, suggested using machine learning.

References

  • Augustinus PC (1992) The influence of rock mass strength on glacial valley cross-profile morphometry: a case study from the Southern Alps, New Zealand. Earth Surf Process Landforms 17:39–51

    Google Scholar 

  • Basher LR, Tonkin PJ, McSaveney MJ (1988) Geomorphic history of a rapidly uplifting area on a compressional plate boundary: Cropp River, New Zealand. Z Geomorphol NF 69:117–131

    Google Scholar 

  • Beck AC (1968) Gravity faulting as a mechanism of topographic adjustment. N Z J Geol Geophys 11:191–199

    Google Scholar 

  • Brardinoni F, Slaymaker O, Hassan MA (2003) Landslide inventory in a rugged forested watershed: a comparison between air-photo and field survey data. Geomorphology 54:179–196

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Claypool AL, Klepeis KA, Dockrill B, Clarke GL, Zwingmann H, Tulloch A (2002) Structure and kinematics of oblique continental convergence in northern Fiordland, New Zealand. Tectonophysics 359:329–358

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Craw D, Nelson E, Koons PO (2003) Structure and topographic evolution of the Main Divide in the Landsborough-Hopkins area of the Southern Alps, New Zealand. N Z J Geol Geophys 46:553–562

    Google Scholar 

  • Cruden DM, Varnes DJ (1996) Landslide types and processes. In: Turner AK, Schuster RL (eds) Landslides, investigation and mitigation. Special Report 247, Transportation Research Board, National Research Council, Washington, DC, pp 36–75

    Google Scholar 

  • Dai FC, Lee CF (2001) Frequency–volume relation and prediction of rainfall-induced landslides. Eng Geol 59:253–266

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • DTEC Consulting Ltd (2002) West Coast Regional Council: natural hazards review. http://www.wcrc.govt.nz/environment/west_coast_natural_hazards.htm

  • Guzzetti F, Malamud BD, Turcotte DL, Reichenbach P (2002) Power–law correlations of landslide areas in central Italy. Earth Planet Sci Lett 195:169–183

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hancox GT, Perrin ND (1994) Green Lake landslide: a very large ancient rock slide in Fiordland, New Zealand. In: Oliveira R, Rodrigues LF, Ceolho AG, Cunha AP (eds) Proceedings of the seventh international congress of International Association of Engineering Geology, Lisboa, pp 1677–1689

  • Hancox GT, McSaveney MJ, Davies TR, Hodgson K (1999) Mt. Adams rock avalanche of 6 October 1999 and subsequent formation and breaching of a large landslide dam in Poerua River, Westland, New Zealand. Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences Science Report 99/19, Lower Hutt

  • Hancox GT, Cox SC, Turnbull IM, Crozier MJ (2003) Reconnaissance studies of landslides and other ground damage caused by the Mw 7.2 Fiordland earthquake of 22 August 2003. Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences Science Report 2003/30, Lower Hutt

  • Henderson RD, Thompson SM (1999) Extreme rainfalls in the Southern Alps of New Zealand. J Hydrol (N Z) 38:309–330

    Google Scholar 

  • Hicks M, Shankar U, McKerchar A (2003) Sediment yield estimates: a GIS tool. NIWA Water Atmos 11:26–27

    Google Scholar 

  • Hovius N, Stark CP, Allen PA (1997) Sediment flux from a mountain belt derived from landslide mapping. Geology 25:231–234

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim KJ, Sutherland R (2004) Uplift rate and landscape development in southwest Fiordland, New Zealand, determined using10Be and26Al exposure dating of marine terraces. Geochim Cosmochim Acta 68:2313–2319

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Korup O (2004) Geomorphic implications of fault zone weakening: slope instability along the Alpine Fault, South Westland to Fiordland. N Z J Geol Geophys 47:257–267

    Google Scholar 

  • Korup O (2005) Large landslides and their effect on sediment flux in South Westland, New Zealand. Earth Surf Process Landforms (in press)

  • Korup O, Crozier M (2002) Landslide types and geomorphic impact on river channels, Southern Alps, New Zealand. In: Rybar J, Stemberk J, Wagner P (eds) Proceedings of the first European conference on landslides, Prague, pp 233–238

  • Korup O, McSaveney MJ, Davies TRH (2004) Sediment generation and delivery from large historic landslides in the Southern Alps, New Zealand. Geomorphology 61:189–207

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Land Information New Zealand (2002) NZTopoOnline Digital Internet Map Server (IMS). Crown copyright reserved. http://www.topoonline.linz.govt.nz

  • Malamud BD, Turcotte DL, Guzzetti F, Reichenbach P (2004) Landslide inventories and their statistical properties. Earth Surf Process Landforms 29:687–711

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mark AF (1998) Te Waahipounamu: south-west New Zealand World Heritage Area. Ecological research and conservation history. J R Soc N Z 28:657–684

    Google Scholar 

  • Norris RJ, Cooper AF (2000) Late Quaternary slip rates and slip partitioning on the Alpine Fault, New Zealand. J Struct Geol 23:507–520

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perrin ND, Hancox GT (1992) Landslide-dammed lakes in New Zealand. Preliminary studies on their distribution, causes and effects. In: Bell DH (ed) Landslides. Glissements de terrain. Balkema, Rotterdam, pp 1457–1466

    Google Scholar 

  • Pickrill RA (1993) Sediment yields in Fiordland. J Hydrol (N Z) 31:39–55

    Google Scholar 

  • Terralink New Zealand Ltd (2000) New Zealand land cover. Digital polygon-based land cover data from SPOT satellite coverage 1994–1996, positional accuracy ±25 m, minimum mapping unit 0.01 km2, classification accuracy 90%, Wellington

  • Thomson R (1994) The 1984 Iris Burn Slip: a geological appraisal. Institute of Geological and Nuclear Sciences Science Report 94/38, Lower Hutt

    Google Scholar 

  • Wells A, Duncan RP, Stewart GH, Yetton MD (1999) Prehistoric dates of the most recent Alpine Fault earthquakes, New Zealand. Geology 27:995–998

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wratt DS, Revell MJ, Sinclair MR, Gray WR, Henderson RD, Chater AM (2000) Relationships between air mass properties and mesoscale rainfall in New Zealand’s Southern Alps. Atmos Res 52:261–282

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

Thanks are due to the support and advice of Michael Crozier, and the constructive reviews by David Barrell, Timothy R. Davies, and Mauri McSaveney

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. WSL Swiss Federal Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF, Flüelastr. 11, 7260, Davos, Switzerland

    Oliver Korup

Authors
  1. Oliver Korup
    View author publications

    Search author on:PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Oliver Korup.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Korup, O. Distribution of landslides in southwest New Zealand. Landslides 2, 43–51 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-004-0042-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-004-0042-0

Keywords

Profiles

  1. Oliver Korup View author profile