# Correlation between Soil Moisture Change and Geological Disasters in E'bian Area (Sichuan, China)
###### Abstract
Mitigating these hazards requires comprehensive monitoring, prevention, and response measures to ensure the safety and stability of the region's inhabitants and infrastructure. E'bian County is located in the Xiaoliang Mountains, which serve as a transitional zone between the Sichuan Basin and the Western Sichuan Plateau. The geological conditions are complex, with strong neetectonic movements and well-developed geological hazards. According to historical data published by the Sichuan Provincial Natural Resources Library, the main geological hazards in E'bian County include landslides, collapses, debris flows, and unstable slopes. In recent years, due to changes in soil moisture and the combined effects of various natural and human factors, E'bian Yi Autonomous County in Leshan City, Sichuan Province, has faced frequent geological disasters. However, most current research by many scholars focuses on predicting geological disasters over a large area of Leshan City, with relatively few studies specifically addressing geological hazards in the E'bian region [1; 2; 3; 4; 5; 6]. The study of the correlation between soil moisture changes and geological disasters is an important field in geology and environmental science. An increase in soil moisture can lead to an increase in soil weight, which weakens its shear strength and thus increases the likelihood of landslides. In addition, the wetting and swelling effects of water change the physical properties of the soil, further increasing the risk of landslides. Especially in seasons with abundant rainfall, loose material on the slopes may be washed down, forming a mudslide with extremely fast speed and huge destructive power, posing a threat to human life and economic development. And under certain geological conditions, the decrease in soil moisture can lead to the formation of underground cavities, which then cause ground subsidence. Under the influence of crustal movement or changes in groundwater level, cracks may occur on the ground. These cracks can also cause damage to buildings and infrastructure. With the development of remote sensing technology, multisource remote sensing techniques have been widely applied in the prediction and monitoring of geological disasters [7; 8; 9; 10; 11; 12]. Among them, FVC (Fraction of Vegetation Cover) and TVDI (Temperature Vegetation Dryness Index) are two commonly used remote sensing indicators that can provide important information about land surface conditions. This paper proposes a geological disaster prediction method based on remote sensing technology, integrating FVC and TVDI. Satellite imagery data of the target area are acquired through satellite platforms, and the obtained remote sensing images are processed and analyzed to extract FVC and TVDI data. Specifically, FVC reflects the vegetation coverage of the land surface, while TVDI indicates the degree of surface dryness. These data are used to establish a statistical model for predicting geological disasters and obtaining predictions of geological disaster occurrence [13; 14; 15]. Therefore, this study takes E'bian County as the target area, utilizing Landsat high-resolution remote sensing imagery and a digital elevation model (DEM), combined with Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Land Surface Temperature (LST), to calculate the Temperature Vegetation Dryness Index (TVDI). This analysis aims to deeply investigate the soil moisture variation trends in E'bian County and their impact on geological disasters. The research findings of this study can partly fill this research gap and provide a scientific basis and technical support for local geological disaster prevention and mitigation efforts.