Landslide locations and drainage network development: A case study of Hong Kong

Landslides are one of the most dominant geomorphic processes that affect humid tropical environments. Previous studies in Hong Kong were mainly focused on spatial and temporal relationships between landslide distribution and the potential controlling factors using geographical information systems (GIS). Few natural landslide studies have examined the geomorphological aspects regarding the drainage network development at a basin scale. This research examined landslide locations with reference to theories of fluvial drainage development. Eight small drainage basins (5.31 km2) were studied in which 451 landslides were recorded. Results have shown that landslide locations are related to a headward progression of the drainage network integration, starting from the mainstream (the fifth order) up to the first order tributaries, indicated by the systematic variation between morphometric parameters and landslide density.