Remote sensing and GIS contribution to the detection of coastal slope failure in the Safi Area, Morocco

Located in the urban area, the cliff of Sidi Bouzid and Amouni shows slope instabilities due to falls and collapse blocks and rotational block gliding. These phenomena form a risk to the economic, social, cultural and environmental issues. Geomorphologic, lithologic and tectonic conditions (ie surfaces of discontinuities such as fractures) combined with the influence of marine abrasion explain the increased instability of this part of the Sahel - Safi. This ongoing slope failure is a handicap for coastal development projects. The activity of these phenomena -more or less remarkable- is monitored by the GIS integrated observation and evaluation of field, aerial and satellite data, allowing to establish synthesis maps that give a risk assessment in this sector. Digital Elevation Model (ASTER_GDEM2) is used for the morphometric analysis of this area and as a base for the weighted overlay of causal / preparatory morphometric factors influencing the slope stability.