Landslide susceptibility assessment using the maximum entropy model in a sector of the Cluj–Napoca Municipality, Romania

Abstract

The administrative territory of Cluj–Napoca, due to its specific geological and geomorphological characteristics and anthropic activities, has been affected for a long time by landslides. Thus, it becomes necessary to analyse affected areas with different spatial methods, with the aim of generating landslide susceptibility maps. In this research, we studied the most prone area of the city, the Becaș stream watershed, situated in the Southern part of the municipality. The aim of this paper is to generate a valid susceptibility map, to be able to raise awareness about the existing situation: due to human induced activities and rapid urban growth, the peripheral part of Cluj–Napoca becomes more and more prone to mass–movements. We used the maximum entropy (MaxEnt) model, which was fed with accurate information on the existing landslides and seven landslide–causing factors: slope, aspect, land–use, depth of fragmentation, geology and plan– and profile curvature. The results confirm that the most influential factors are the land use and slope–angle, affected in a large degree by human activities. The accuracy of the generated map was verified using the AUC method, proving a very good performance (0.844) of the applied model.