Abstract: Slope unit is an important tool for assessment and prediction of regional landslide hazards. Currently several extraction methods based on the different definitions of slope unit has been proposed. In this paper we aim to analyze and summarize the advantages and limitations of common extraction methods from the view of landslide stability analysis. Among these methods the MIA-HSU method appeared in recent years is introduced in emphasis. Some limitations in common of these methods are drawn as follows: the excessive dependency on DEM resolution, the user-defined thresholds, and the lack of convenient optimization method. Finally, we suggest that future extraction method should pay more attention to the extraction of geologic environment boundary.

Key words: landslide hazards, homogeneous assumption, slope unit, extraction method, MIA-HSU