Ground instability effects

This chapter is conceived to describe methodologies for the generation of scenarios having as effects ground deformation processes (landslides, subsidence and underground cavity collapses) triggered by different inputs. Special attention has been devoted to products for the aware management of the territory and to define strategies for the community resilience. The natural processes responsible for ground instability effects (i.e. landslides, subsidence and collapses) are here framed from a phenomenological perspective but also with reference to their temporal recurrence and spatial distribution on a global scale. The quantification of ground instability effects is connected to the analysis of their recurrence and activity as well as to the relevance of distinguishing macro-factors (predisposing, preparatory and triggering) necessary to define their efficiency in time and space. The chapter provides a state of art regarding methodological approaches which, through statistical and probabilistic approaches, allow the rendering of scenarios for the effects connected to ground instability at various scales for land management and the definition of strategies for the community resilience. The treatise can be supported by the citation of case studies. Particular attention has been paid to the distinction (where applicable) among the functional approaches to the analysis of the spatiotemporal distribution of predisposing, preparatory and triggering factors in the perspective of quantitative risk analyses.