Abstract

ALCANTARA AYALA, Irasema  and  MURILLO GARCIA, Fran Giselle. Mass movement processes in Mexico: towards a proposal to construct a nation-wide inventory. Invest. Geog [online]. 2008, n.66, pp.47-64. ISSN 2448-7279.

Within the natural risks framework, mass movement processes can be regarded as significant hazards since when combined with exposed populations both determine risk; thus, historically they have caused a considerable number of disasters worldwide, including Mexico. An adequate assessment of these hazards requires, on a first stage, the typology identification and classification of such movements considering their spatial-temporal context; the latter is commonly carried out by generating different types of maps and by developing inventories. However, not in terms of a engineering perspective, but from a geomorphological approach, as mass movement investigations are relatively new and there is a lack of a solid platform of reference on these studies at national level, mass movement inventories are neglected. Therefore, in this paper, a proposal on the construction of a nation-wide mass movement processes inventory is put forward. Furthermore and based on field observations and analysis of IKONOS satellite images, the proposed design is illustrated by introducing the case of the Sierra Norte de Puebla, one of the most affected areas by slope instability.

Keywords : Mass movement processes; inventory; Mexico; Sierra Norte de Puebla.

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