On the use of seismic noise studies for landslide rock block hazard assessment
Abstract
As emphasized by Pazzi et al. [1], robust constraints on rock-mass volume are essential for landslide hazard assessment. However, such estimates are inherently challenging due to (i) complex geometries, (ii) heterogeneous material properties, and (iii) poorly constrained boundary conditions, particularly at depth. To address this, Pazzi et al. [1] propose estimating rock-block volumes —at least its order of magnitude—from their fundamental eigenfrequency (f0) in a lateral spread and block-slide setting on Malta Island. Each block’s fundamental frequency is obtained from the peak of the Horizontal-to-Vertical Spectral Ratio (HVSR) curve (fHV ), and the volume is inferred using an abacus derived from numerical simulations of base-embedded, parallelepiped blocks, assuming that the cross-sectional area is independently constrained. We identify several limitations that may have implications for both the methodology and conclusions of Pazzi et al. [1], including the use of numerical models that may not be fully suited to the site, potential issues related to data quality and handling, and certain methodological and validation constraints. Taken together, these factors suggest that the reliability of the analyses and the proposed volume estimation may warrant further consideration
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BibTeX
@article{bottelin2026seismic,
title = {{On the use of seismic noise studies for landslide rock block hazard assessment}},
author = {Pierre Bottelin and Éric Larose and Laurent Baillet},
journal = {Communications Earth \& Environment},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.1038/s43247-026-04029-2},
url = {https://hal.science/hal-05734692v1},
note = {CC BY-NC-SA 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - On the use of seismic noise studies for landslide rock block hazard assessment
AU - Pierre Bottelin
AU - Éric Larose
AU - Laurent Baillet
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/30
JO - Communications Earth & Environment
DO - 10.1038/s43247-026-04029-2
UR - https://hal.science/hal-05734692v1
AB - As emphasized by Pazzi et al. [1], robust constraints on rock-mass volume are essential for landslide hazard assessment. However, such estimates are inherently challenging due to (i) complex geometries, (ii) heterogeneous material properties, and (iii) poorly constrained boundary conditions, particularly at depth. To address this, Pazzi et al. [1] propose estimating rock-block volumes —at least its order of magnitude—from their fundamental eigenfrequency (f0) in a lateral spread and block-slide setting on Malta Island. Each block’s fundamental frequency is obtained from the peak of the Horizontal-to-Vertical Spectral Ratio (HVSR) curve (fHV ), and the volume is inferred using an abacus derived from numerical simulations of base-embedded, parallelepiped blocks, assuming that the cross-sectional area is independently constrained. We identify several limitations that may have implications for both the methodology and conclusions of Pazzi et al. [1], including the use of numerical models that may not be fully suited to the site, potential issues related to data quality and handling, and certain methodological and validation constraints. Taken together, these factors suggest that the reliability of the analyses and the proposed volume estimation may warrant further consideration
SN - 2662-4435
ER -