The Minimum Interpretation Scale of an Earthquake-Induced Landslide Inventory with Acceptable Completeness

An earthquake-induced landslide inventory with acceptable completeness is critical for the effectiveness and accuracy of research, yet its creation is technically challenging and time-consuming. This study proposes a method to determine the minimum interpretation scale for inventories with acceptable completeness without a complete census. Four earthquakes of varying magnitudes and settings were selected. By comparing landslide distributions across inventories with different completeness, we identified the minimum interpretable scale for these earthquakes. Then, we derived an empirical relationship between the maximum and minimum landslide scales. Assuming a similar geological environment for landslides in the same earthquake, the minimum interpretation scale can be calculated from the maximum scale. Results show that when the maximum landslide area is 10x m2, the distribution of the inventory in which interpreted landslides ≥ 10x−3 m2 is similar to that of the complete inventory. A consistency check using 24 global public inventories supports the empirical robustness of this methodology. Therefore, the minimum acceptable interpretation scale can be set solely by the order of magnitude of the maximum landslide area. Methodology aids in assessing the feasibility of historical earthquake-landslide studies, guiding the selection of remote sensing image resolution for interpretation, reducing the interpretation workload, and shortening post-earthquake response time.