[Paper Review] Mountain resonance shapes the distribution of earthquake-induced landslides

Ashok Dahal|arXiv (Cornell University)|Jan 16, 2026

Landslides and related hazards0 citations

TL;DR

The study shows that mountain-scale resonance frequencies influence where and how large earthquake-induced landslides occur, using the 2015 Gorkha earthquake case with 3D modal analysis of mountains and landslide inventory.

ABSTRACT

Earthquake-induced landslides are among the most destructive cascading hazards, yet the physical mechanisms governing their spatial distribution and size remain incompletely understood. While amplification of seismic waves by local topography is well documented, the role of mountain-scale resonance has remained largely untested. Here we demonstrate that the resonant frequency of mountains exerts a statistically significant control on the occurrence, spatial pattern, and size of coseismic landslides. Using the 2015 Mw 7.8 Gorkha earthquake in Nepal, which triggered more than 25,000 landslides, we combine three-dimensional modal analysis of 3,130 mountain bodies with a high-resolution landslide inventory. Landslides preferentially occur on mountains whose resonant frequencies (0.5-1.2 Hz) overlap with the dominant frequency content of the earthquake. Mountains affected by landslides exhibit systematically lower resonant frequencies than stable mountains, and larger landslides are associated with lower-frequency mountains. These findings provide quantitative evidence that mountain-scale resonance amplifies seismic ground motion sufficiently to influence landslide triggering, highlighting an overlooked mechanism that should be incorporated into assessments of earthquake-induced landslide hazard.

Motivation & Objective

• Motivate understanding of physical mechanisms driving the spatial distribution and size of earthquake-induced landslides.
• Test whether mountain-scale resonance, not just local amplification, governs landslide triggering.
• Quantify the relationship between mountain resonant frequencies and landslide occurrence and size using a major earthquake case study.

Proposed method

• Perform three-dimensional modal analysis of 3,130 mountain bodies.
• Compile a high-resolution landslide inventory for the 2015 Gorkha earthquake.
• Compare resonant frequencies of mountains (0.5–1.2 Hz) with the earthquake’s dominant frequency content.
• Analyze whether landslide-prone mountains exhibit different resonant properties than stable mountains.

Experimental results

Research questions

• RQ1 Do mountain-scale resonant frequencies correlate with the occurrence and spatial pattern of coseismic landslides?
• RQ2 Are larger landslides associated with mountains having particular resonant frequency ranges?
• RQ3 Can mountain resonance amplification explain variations in ground motion contributing to landslide triggering?

Key findings

• Landslides preferentially occur on mountains whose resonant frequencies overlap with the earthquake’s dominant frequency content.
• Mountains affected by landslides have systematically lower resonant frequencies than stable mountains.
• Larger landslides are associated with lower-frequency mountains.
• The results provide quantitative evidence that mountain-scale resonance amplifies seismic ground motion relevant to landslide triggering.