Risk assessment of geological hazards in Song County, Henan Province

Using the ArcGIS environment, a risk assessment model is established by selecting eight indicator factors, including regional elevation, landform, engineering rock group, vegetation coverage, distance from structures, distance from water systems, slope, and slope direction in Song county, Henan Province, China. The vulnerability is evaluated under three disaster-bearing factors: buildings, personnel and traffic. The information volume model and analytic hierarchy process are used to assess the susceptibility, risk and vulnerability of geological disasters in Song county. The results show that the area of Song county is divided into low-risk areas, covering 965.34 km², accounting for 32% of the total area; medium risk area, covering 1114.65 km², accounting for 37% of the total area; high-risk area, covering 826.23 km², accounting for 27% of the total area; and extremely high risk area, covering 102.68 km², accounting for 3% of the area. These research findings can be widely applied to disaster prevention, mitigation, and geological disaster risk control in Song county.