Assessing Landslide Distribution for Landform Hazard Zoning Purposes: A Case Study on the Western Flank of Iztaccíhuatl Volcano, Puebla, México

In volcanic terrains, landslides are major natural hazard, posing risks to human settlements and economic activity. The characterization and analysis of landslide distribution is important in understanding their behavior in the landscape. The aim of this paper is to present results of the ongoing research project in the Institute of Geography at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), to analyze the distribution of landslides, and characterize landforms that are prone to slope instability. For the Río Xopanac watershed on the western flank of Iztaccíhuatl volcano, landforms and landslide distribution were ascertained through a landslide inventory map created from multi-temporal aerial photographs, field investigations and adaptation of the Landslide Hazard Zonation Protocol of the Washington State Department of Natural Resources, Forest Practices Division, in a GIS-based technology. This analysis divided the watershed into 13 mass-wasting landforms that were assigned slope-stability hazard ratings from low to very high. The overall hazard rating for this watershed was very high. The implementation of the technique yields information essential for policy makers here and in other areas of Mexico.