Earthquake induced landslides are a major concern in active seismic areas. The socioeconomic losses associated to preexisting large-scale landslides triggered by earthquakes are usually huge. For instance, the town of Guevejar (Granada, Southern Spain) was destroyed twice, after the Lisbon (1755) and the Andalusia earthquakes (1884). Some infrastructures have been built near unstable masses. Most of them are in limit-equilibrium under static conditions, so a moderate earthquake may mobilize them. The seismic information obtained from seismometers placed inside and around large landslides may allow to develop an early warning system (EWS) using the nano-seismicity (very high frequency seismic signal) generated by the mass in movement (or cracking). Such movement, or the precursor phenomena of the landslide reactivation, could be recognized in real time and the EWS will be activated. On the other hand, the static and dynamic behavior of unstable mass during an earthquake has been studied in depth during the last decades, and objective criteria have been established to predict its reactivation. These criteria have been used successfully in determining seismic-induced landslide hazard and emergency maps. In this essay, for three landslides located in SE Spain, we present some initial results of a research project focused on seismic-induced landslide characterization and landslide early warning systems. The main information used came from geotechnical, geophysical and seismological processed data. This project is being developed by the University of Granada and the Andalusian Regional Government, in the frame of ERDF research programs.
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