# Landslide Susceptibility Assessment by Using Convolutional Neural Network
## 2 Study Area  
### Geological Setting  
The Gorzineh-khil region is located in the Savadkooh county, southern Mazandaran province, with center coordinates of \(35^{\circ}57^{\prime}55^{\prime\prime}\) N, \(52^{\circ}27^{\prime}30^{\prime\prime}\) E. Climatologically, the area has a mild and humid climate with cold winters. The average annual total precipitation in the area is measured to be about 600 mm, where the rainiest month is October (203.8 mm) and the driest month is August (39.5 mm). The average temperature is 14 \({}^{\circ}\)C where the hottest month is August (28.8 \({}^{\circ}\)C) and the coolest month is February (6.5 \({}^{\circ}\)C). In addition, the evaporation rate of the area is measured to be about 600-750 mm. The study area is located in the category of a warm and humid climate, which is effective on vegetation and increases weathering in mountainous areas [32]. The topographical elevation values of the Gorzineh-khi region are between 296 m and 3724 m (A.S.L. ), which includes slope angle variations from 0\({}^{\circ}\) to 89\({}^{\circ}\) (with a general range between 60\({}^{\circ}\) and 80\({}^{\circ}\)). The site is covered with forests (40%), pastures/farms (25%), meadows/boglands (18%), residential areas (12%), and wastlands (5%). Figure 1 presents the location of the project site which covers an area of approximately 145 km\({}^{2}\). In terms of geological setting, the oldest geological units of the study area are the Shemshak formation (Jurassic shale, sandstone, siltstone, claystone, marl, coal-bearing, calcareous sandstone, sandy shale, limestone, and conglomerate) and its outskirts are formed by the Lar formation (Jurassic ammonite limestone, dolomitic limestone, limestone, calcareous shale, and dolomite). The Tizkuh (Cretaceous orbitolinal limestone) and Ziarat (Eocene tuff, tuffaceous sandstone, shale, and minor nummullitic limestone) formations and quaternary alluvium deposits are considered as the subset of the central Alborz zone [33; 34]. Figure 2 depicts the study area's geological map. The central Alborz zone, or the middle Alborz Mountain range, insulates the south Caspian Sea from the Iranian plateau by its E-W strike in the north of Iran. In terms of geo-structures and tectonics, this region is a part of the continental-continental collision of the central Iranian plate with the Eurasian plate. Recent seismotectonic studies indicate that the region is active [35; 36]. Figure 1: Location of the Gorzineh-khi region (studied area) in Iran by Google Earth. Figure 2: Geological map and cross-section of the Gorzineh-khil region (studied area) [34]. Multiple historical ground movements, creeps, and local landslides in the studied area indicate the region's potential landslide activity. In some parts of the Gorzineh-khiregion, especially towards the middle section, several local landslides have been observed, amongst which the landslide involving the Gorzineh-khi village itself is significantly dangerous. During the field survey in the studied area, at least 30 local landslides were detected, which are mostly classified as shallow sliding. Figure 3 provides views of typical landslide cases, including the trace of the main sliding of the Gorzineh-khi village in the study area. As seen in this figure, most of the local sliding has occurred in the soil mass in the study region. The field survey that conducted in studied region has provides information about historical landslides which is used in assessment. In addition, the exposed rock surfaces on the slopes in the study region indicate the depth of weathering in the Gorzineh-khi region. With respect to these historical landslides, it can be stated that the region has a high potential for slides of different scales. As depicted in Figure 1, the studied area is situated in the Central Alborz Mountains in northern Iran, which is a suitable area for mass slipping. In addition, the climate is conducive to triggering the movements. Figure 3 illustrates several historical landslides that have occurred in the region.