Quantitative assessment of the impact of earthquake-induced geohazards on natural landscapes in Jiuzhaigou Valley

Many natural landscapes that lie in high mountain regions are highly susceptible to geological hazards, and their values and integrity are strongly threatened by the hazards. A preliminary framework was proposed to undertake a quantitative assessment of the impact of earthquake-induced geological hazards on the natural landscapes. Four factors reflecting the aesthetic value, ecological value, integrity of landscapes were selected to assess their vulnerability. The impact of earthquake-induced geological hazards on the landscapes is quantitatively expressed as the product of their vulnerability and resilience. The assessment framework was applied to Jiuzhaigou Valley which was severely struck by the Ms 7.0 earthquake on August 8, 2017. Field survey, satellite image interpretation, high-resolution DEM and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) reconnaissance were used to retrieve the values of the assessment factors. Twenty seven World Heritage Sites in the valley strongly influenced by the earthquakeinduced geohazards were evaluated. The impact values of two sites of them (Sparking Lake and Nuorilang Waterfall) are up to 8.24 and 4.65, respectively, and their natural landscapes were greatly damaged. The assessment results show a good agreement with the actual damages of the heritage sites.