Previous researches made about the slope instability in the middle and low Guadalfeo river basin

established a widespread existence of natural gravitational triggered processes. You can see two examples
of the Izbor river basin, and the low Guadalfeo River basin. Up to present, a number of more than 2000
landslides have been inventoried in different sectors of the Guadalfeo river basin.

Geographical and geological setting

The study zone is a part of the southern slopes of Sierra Nevada, in a county side known as The
Alpujarras, of some 460 km2.

As professor Chacon introduced, the study zone is in the Inner Zone of the Betic Cordillera. This Inner
Zone comprises in the study zone metamorphic rocks from both the Nevado-Filabride and Alpujrride
complexes, and nearby Neogene and Quaternary post-tectonics deposits.

The Nevado-Filbride Complex is mainly represented by a lower sequence of Palaeozoic dark schist
followed by quartzite and an upper sequence of Permian to Triassic schist and marble.

The Alpujarride Complex is composed by Palaeozoic mica schist, quartzite and phyllites, and Permian to
Triassic marbles.

The post-tectonics deposits are represented by Neogene granular coarse to fine soils layers.

The slope morphology features alternating smooth and abrupt relief with over excavated river channels
showing normal to rambla profiles and widespread landslides of variable size and typologies.

Landslide mapping
The first step is to make a preliminary landslide inventory based on 1:20.000 scaled aerial photography,
and then we confirm and complete the inventory with a field surveying. The field surveying was made
and the landslide field observations were plotted into a topographical 1:10.000 map, and data about mass
thickness, lithology, geotechnical soil features and rock massifs data, detailed landslide morphology and
type, activity, degree of development, aspect of scarp, mass, vegetation, etc, taken into the field book.
And finally we digitize the landslides on the GIS.

These are the results of the landslide inventory classified following Varnes (1978) system.

Slides
108 slides has been inventoried, 106 planar slides and 2 only rotational slides were distinguished,
representing a 43% of the inventoried landslides and affecting a 1,36% of the surface of the study zone.
Most of them are shallow slides with mass thicknesses below 10 m. composed mainly by phyllite, mica
schist, marble, quartzite and conglomerate.

Concerning the appearance or degree of preservation of the landslides morphology 83% of these slides
were dated as recent, showing a fresh appearance and preservation of the scarp and mass features, most of
them triggered by the last regional heavy rain event of winter and spring of 1996 and 1997, or slightly
older and a age limits up to 25 years were assigned. A 9% showed partially erased features by erosive
processes or vegetation cover and an age limit up to 50 years were assigned. The resting 8% slides with
considerable smoothing of its morphological features either by erosion, vegetation or shallow soil
degradation processes, were considered older than 50 years. Concerning the development attained by
these slides a 25% shows features corresponding to an early stage of scarp and mass development, a 54%
with an initial stage of mass advance, 20% with an advanced stage of the mass moving from the scarp
toward the lower divide and only 1% with an exhausted appearance of the morphological features. From
fragmented information supplied by owners of the affected lands these slides were active during short
periods limited to days or few weeks and without any further evolution.

Debris flows
80 debris flows were inventoried representing a 32% of the landslide inventory and affecting to a 1,14%
of the total surface of the study zone. These are shallow landslides with thicknesses between 3 and 7
meters. Most of the identified debris flows, partially erased by erosive processes, are considered as
triggered by the last heavy rain event in the region which happened in winter and spring of 1996 and
1997.
Rock falls
35 rock falls were inventoried corresponding to small scarps and accumulation zones of fallen blocks and
stones. These landslides represent a 14% of the inventory affecting only a 0,15% of the total area. Most
are affecting marble outcrops and less frequent coarse schist layers. There are frequent associations of
rock falls and debris flows on scarps affected first by erosive processes and debris flows along the slope
and then by rock falls on remaining rock bodies on the resulting over inclined slopes.

Complex landslides
29 complex landslide were inventoried representing a 11% of the landslides and affecting a 0,56% of the
study zone. These are deep landslides with masses attaining thicknesses up to one hundred meters and
affecting different materials usually with variable strength in slopes similar to those affected by slides.
The complexity is derived from combinations of erosive processes and debris flow at the base of slopes
usually in phyllite and planar slide with rock fall at the middle and upper part of the slope were a marble
unit of the Alpujrride nappe is cropping out.

Finally we can concluding that the inventoried landslides affect (including both rupture and accumulation
zones) a 3,22% of the total area of the study zone and 108 slides, 80 debris flows, 35 rock falls and 29
complex landslide were distinguished. Phyllites are the most susceptible lithology showing the higher
number of landslides, followed by mica schist, marble and quartzite.

So with this inventory and determinants factors we draw the susceptibility map through the matrix
method as Prof. Irigaray introduced.

Con el inventario y el anlisis hemos podido realizar mapas de susceptibilidad con el mtodo de la matriz,
a los movimientos de ladera. Pero el objetivo es generar mapas de peligrosidad y en la medida de lo
posible de riesgo o riesgo especfico. La teledeteccin (Remote Sensig Data) puede jugar un papel
importante en la deteccin de movimientos para asignar una frecuencia.