The use of landslide units in geomorphological mapping: an example in the Italian Dolomites

The mapping of processes and landforms found in a particular territory is usually achieved by means of methods and instruments which are universally accepted and adopted, such as those of geomorphological mapping. In some cases, however, these methods do not always give complete understanding of a landscape's evolution. In particular, this happens in environments with a large number of deposits resulting from gravitational processes. This paper aims at illustrating an innovative method for mapping gravitational deposits by considering, in particular, their spatial and temporal relationships and by grouping them into homogeneous units called landslide units. The use of these landslide units would facilitate landscape analysis and allow better understanding of areas which are rather complex from the geomorphological standpoint. This type of approach is particularly important for application purposes and the dissemination of results on landslide research, especially for non-specialists. Within the framework of the TESLEC Project, funded by the European Union, this investigation method has been applied to the area of Cortina d'Ampezzo (Italian Dolomites) where more than thirty landslides have been identified and grouped in 12 landslide units. These landslide units also incorporate superficial deposits (alluvial and lacustrine deposits, scree slopes etc.) genetically linked to the main landslide phenomena. Each landslide unit includes lower-ranked units which may be either landslide bodies or other deposits directly or indirectly related to them. As an example, the case of the Cortina d'Ampezzo Landslide Unit is illustrated and discussed. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved