The parts of Nepal most vulnerable to landslides run along the Nepal–Tibet border and above the fault rupture, west of Mount Everest, and 17,550 square miles of places that are above 8,200 feet.
Also at risk are areas close to rivers. Landslides can build up and form artificial dams and thereby flood villages nearby.
“With the satellite images, we’ll be looking first at the highest-risk landslide areas that are close to big rivers,” Marin Clark, leader of the team at Michigan, said in a statement. “Those locations are high priorities.”