Landslide occurrences and rainfall trend during the period 1951-2010, Emilia-Romagna Region, Northern Italy

Ruggero Tonelli (1), Daniela Piacentini (1), Olivia Nesci (1) & Marco Pizziolo (2)
(1) Dipartimento di Scienze Pure ed Applicate, Università di Urbino "Carlo Bo", Campus Scientifico E. Mattei, Via Cà Le Suore,2/4 61029 Urbino. (2) Servizio Geologico, Sismico e dei Suoli, Regione Emilia-Romagna, Viale della Fiera, 8, Bologna. Corresponding author e-mail: ruggero.tonelli@uniurb.it.

The relation between rainfall trend and landslide occurrences in the Emilia-Romagna region (Northern Italy) is presented. This study is based on the availability of long-term (1931-2017) rainfall data and the Catalogue of Landslide OCcurrences in the Emilia-Romagna region (CLOCkER), which reports the date of more than 14,000 landslides from the Middle Ages to the present. In particular, the analyses focus on the role of rainfall as main triggering factor of landslides that occurred in the Emilia-Romagna region during the period between October 1951 and September 2010. Early findings suggest a well-defined correlation, for different intervals of analyses (annual, seasonal, antecedent rainfall period of ninety days), between the landslide occurrences recorded and the rainfall trend. This demonstrates that rainfall can be considered the main triggering factor for landslides occurring in the Emilia-Romagna region.

Landslides, Historical catalogue, Rainfall, Northern Italy.