Susceptibility assessment of soil erosion in overlaying diluvial fan of shallow underground pipelines

Abstract

Soil erosion is a serious hazards occurring in overlaying diluvial fans of shallow underground pipelines. To learn the extent of soil erosion in such landforms, we propose a method of susceptibility assessment of soil erosion based on a case study of the Chaka diluvial fan, Qinghai Province, China. First, we conducted a field investigation at 24 sites, to obtain the land surface properties. Then, vital information such as soil anti-scouribility, permeability, density, sectional water volume, and pipeline burial depth was collected. The slope grade and the vegetation index were determined with the geographic information system (GIS) technology. Further, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was used to determine the weight of various indices on the potential susceptibility of shallow underground pipelines. The susceptibility classification of the study area soil erosion was obtained based on the GIS overlay analysis tool. Lastly, the susceptibility classification was compared with the results of the field investigation. Their consistency indicates that the proposed method can be successfully implemented to accurately assess soil erosion. The erosion mechanism indicates that occlusion and cementation have an important influence on the susceptibility intensity in overlaying diluvial fans of shallow underground pipelines.

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