Long-Term Displacement Monitoring of Slow Earthflows by Inclinometers and GPS, and Wide Area Surveillance by COSMO-SkyMed Data

Abstract

With reference to two slow earthflows in structurally complex clayey formations of the Italian southern Apennines, this paper shows the results of a long-term displacement monitoring using integrated systems of inclinometers and GPS, and their comparison with PSInSAR data. A fixed-in-place and traversal inclinometer system, first installed in 2004, recorded both the shear displacements along the slip bands, and the internal deformations of the landslide masses. A GPS network of permanent stations and benchmarks, installed in 2006–2007 in 23 strategic points of the slope, allowed for the temporal continuity of displacement monitoring. The two long series of data allowed to evaluate the factor scaling of the PSInSAR COSMO-SkyMed data, although the component of the displacement vector along the line of sight (LOS) was small. PSInSAR data allowed for the monitoring extension to houses and rigid structures that acted as reflectors. The joint data analysis allowed for the comprehension of the main features of the landslides’ kinematics.