Mass movements on steep slopes are a major hazard to
communities and infrastructure in the Three Gorges
region, China. Developing susceptibility maps of mass
movements is therefore very important in both current
and future land use planning. This study employed
satellite optical imagery and an ASTER GDEM (15 m)
to derive various parameters (namely geology; slope
gradient; proximity to drainage networks and proximity
to lineaments) in order to create a GIS-based map of
mass movement susceptibility. This map was then
evaluated using highly accurate deformation signals
processed using the Persistent Scatterer (PS) InSAR
technique. Areas of high susceptibility correspond well
to points of high subsidence, which provides a strong
support of our susceptibility map