Landslides pose a frequent geological threat, endangering both productivity and the well-being of human life and property. In recent years, landslides have received widespread attention in various fields. This article presents a comprehensive review of landslide research in the Qinling Mountains, China. The first part introduces landslide investigation and inventory, which include manual visual interpretation and automatic landslide extraction. The second part discusses the types, characteristics, and temporal-spatial distribution of landslides in the Qinling Mountains. In the third part, the mechanisms and stability analysis of landslides are explored, along with a discussion of the applicability of various simulation methods. The fourth part focuses on significant studies related to landslide evaluation, including susceptibility, hazard, and risk assessment. The fifth part addresses landslide monitoring and early warning systems. Finally, an assessment is made of the current issues and research status concerning landslide studies in the Qinling Mountains, followed by a discussion on future research directions.

AbstractThe Qinling Mountains in China frequently experience geological disasters, with large‐scale landslides being particularly prominent, causing severe economic losses to the local area. To gain a comprehensive understanding of the geological disaters distribution in the region, we conducted extensive research on the entire Qinling Mountains, covering an area of approximately 380,000 km2. By employing methods such as literature review, data collection, and interpretation of remote sensing images, we have successfully created a database of landslides. The inventory of landslides includes a total of 169,888 large‐scale landslides, covering a combined area of approximately 1575 km2. The average size of these landslides is approximately 92,734 m2. The scale of these landslides varies widely, with the smallest individual landslide covering an area of 166.25 m2 and the largest reaching 12.9 km2. Upon examining areas with frequent landslides, it was observed that landslides are usually densely distributed along riverbanks or within valleys. Landslide development is also dense in areas prone to frequent historical earthquakes. This comprehensive database provides essential data to support the analysis of spatial distribution patterns of large‐scale landslides in the Qinling Mountains. It also facilitates landslide assessments and serves as a reference for the prevention and control of landslide disasters in the area.

The Taihang Mountains are a critical mountain range and geographical boundary in eastern China. Landslide disasters are particularly common in this region and usually cause serious casualties and property damage. However, previous landslide inventories in the region are limited and lack comprehensive landslide cataloguing. To address this gap, the northern half of the Taihang Mountain Range was selected for this study. A landslide database for the area was constructed using multi-temporal high-resolution optical imagery from the Google Earth and human–computer interactive visual interpretation technology. The results indicate that at least 8349 landslides have occurred in the Taihang Mountain Range, with a total landslide area of about 151.61 km2. The size of the landslides varies, averaging about 18,159.23 m2, with the largest landslide covering 2.83 km2 and the smallest landslide only 5.95 m2. The significance of this study lies in its ability to enhance our understanding of the distribution of landslides in the northern half of the Taihang Mountains. Furthermore, it offers valuable data references and supports for landslide assessment, early warning systems, disaster management, and ecological protection efforts.

China boasts a vast expanse of mountainous terrain, characterized by intricate geological conditions and structural features, resulting in frequent geological disasters. Among these, landslides, as prototypical geological hazards, pose significant threats to both lives and property. Consequently, conducting a comprehensive landslide inventory in mountainous regions is imperative for current research. This study concentrates on the Yinshan Mountains, an ancient fault-block mountain range spanning east–west in the central Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, extending from Langshan Mountains in the west to Damaqun Mountains in the east, with the narrow sense Xiao–Yin Mountains District in between. Employing multi-temporal high-resolution remote sensing images from Google Earth, this study conducted visual interpretation, identifying 10,968 landslides in the Yinshan area, encompassing a total area of 308.94 km2. The largest landslide occupies 2.95 km2, while the smallest covers 84.47 m2. Specifically, the Langshan area comprises 331 landslides with a total area of 11.96 km2, the narrow sense Xiao–Yin Mountains include 3393 landslides covering 64.13 km2, and the Manhan Mountains, Damaqun Mountains, and adjacent areas account for 7244 landslides over a total area of 232.85 km2. This research not only contributes to global landslide cataloging initiatives but also serves as a robust foundation for future geohazard prevention and management efforts.

On August 8, 2017, a magnitude Mw6.5 (Ms7.0) earthquake occurred in Jiuzhaigou County, Aba Prefecture, in the northern part of Sichuan Province, China, with a focal depth of 20 km and an epicenter located at (33.2°N, 103.8°E). Due to the significant magnitude of the earthquake, a large number of coseismic landslides were triggered. Despite previous research conducted by experts on the landslides caused by the Jiuzhaigou earthquake, the actual number of landslides has been severely underestimated in the previously published papers. Through field surveys and visual interpretation of high-resolution remote sensing images before and after the mainshock, we have established a detailed inventory of earthquake-induced landslides. The results indicate that the event caused a minimum of 9428 landslides covering a total area of 18.82 km2. These landslides are mainly distributed in the IX intensity area of the earthquake. The landslides mainly consist of medium-sized landslides and debris flows. They predominantly occur in areas with an altitude ranging from 2600 m to 3600 m, with slopes greater than 30° and facing east and southeast. The Lower Carboniferous and Middle Carboniferous formations are more prone to triggering landslides, and landslides are more concentrated within 1 km of roads and in forested areas. Additionally, as the distance from roads and the epicenter increases, the values of LAP and LND decrease, indicating a positive correlation between the two. There are more landslides within 2 km from the fault and within a range of 6 km–9 km from the epicenter. In conclusion, this study provides a comprehensive landslide inventory with broader coverage and increased accuracy. It also conducts a comprehensive analysis of the spatial distribution patterns of landslides. This contributes to a deeper understanding of the causes of coseismic landslides and further research on the impact of landslides in affected areas.