Change in the Parameters of Dangerous Slope Processes as a Result of Anthropogenic Impact on Sakhalin Island

Abstract

Currently the human activity is one of the important factors of snow avalanche, debris flow and landslide formation. In some cases, human activity leads to the formation of previously non–existing snow avalanche, debris flow and landslide complexes, which increases the areal percentage of exposure of settlement areas to dangerous processes. Most often, anthropogenic dangerous slope processes are confined to the mountainous territory, which is associated with the extraction of minerals, road construction, construction of buildings and structures and storage of ground in floodplains and watercourses on weak mountain slopes. The authors propose to divide the anthropogenic genetic class of snow avalanche, debris flows and landslides into three categories, depending on the degree of influence of anthropogenic activity on the formation of avalanche, debris flow and landslide processes and their characteristics. The usage of this classification allows to determine and evaluate possible consequences of debris flows and landslides at the early stages of economic activity planning.

Keywords: natural hazard, dangerous slope processes, geomorphic hazard, debris flow, snow avalanche, landslide, Sakhalin Island