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What is a landslide hazard map?

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98

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Welcome to CoreFacts, where we're always short on time and big on science. I'm Jessica Robertson. Today's question is...

What is a landslide hazard map?

A landslide hazard map indicates the possibility of landslides occurring throughout a given area. A hazard map may be as simple as a map that uses the locations of old landslides to indicate potential instability, or as complex as a quantitative map incorporating probabilities based on variables such as rainfall thresholds, slope angle, soil type, and levels of earthquake shaking. An ideal landslide hazard map shows not only the chances that a landslide may form at a particular place, but also the chance that it may travel downslope a given distance.

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