Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Publications

Filter Total Items: 2379

Acute sensitivity of landslide rates to initial soil porosity Acute sensitivity of landslide rates to initial soil porosity

Some landslides move imperceptibly downslope, whereas others accelerate catastrophically. Experimental landslides triggered by rising pore water pressure moved at sharply contrasting rates due to small differences in initial porosity. Wet sandy soil with porosity of about 0.5 contracted during slope failure, partially liquefied, and accelerated within 1 second to speeds over I meter per...
Authors
R.M. Iverson, M.E. Reid, N.R. Iverson, R.G. LaHusen, M. Logan, J.E. Mann, D.L. Brien

The 2000 revision of the joint UK/US geomagnetic field models and an IGRF 2000 candidate model The 2000 revision of the joint UK/US geomagnetic field models and an IGRF 2000 candidate model

The method of derivation of the joint UK/US spherical harmonic geomagnetic main-field and secular-variation models is presented. Early versions of these models, with the main field truncated at degree 10, are the UK/US candidates for the IGRF 2000 model. The main-field model describes the Earth’s magnetic field at the 2000.0 epoch, while the secular-variation model predicts the evolution...
Authors
S. Macmillan, J.M. Quinn

Landslide-induced flooding at Ophir Creek, Washoe County, western Nevada, May 30, 1983 Landslide-induced flooding at Ophir Creek, Washoe County, western Nevada, May 30, 1983

Rapid spilling of 22 acre-feet of water down the steep, 3-mile channel of Ophir Creek killed one, injured four, and destroyed or damaged five houses. Flow evolved into debris flow enroute, and compounded in volume over 30 times.
Authors
Patrick A. Glancy, John W. Bell

Landslide triggering by rain infiltration Landslide triggering by rain infiltration

Landsliding in response to rainfall involves physical processes that operate on disparate timescales. Relationships between these timescales guide development of a mathematical model that uses reduced forms of Richards equation to evaluate effects of rainfall infiltration on landslide occurrence, timing, depth, and acceleration in diverse situations. The longest pertinent timescale is A...
Authors
Richard M. Iverson

Assessment of landslide hazards in Kaluanui and Maakua gulches, Oahu, Hawaii, following the 9 May 1999 Sacred Falls landslide Assessment of landslide hazards in Kaluanui and Maakua gulches, Oahu, Hawaii, following the 9 May 1999 Sacred Falls landslide

One of the injured hikers later died of injuries received in the landslide. Governor Ben Cayetano of Hawaii ordered that the park be closed due to concern about continuing landslide hazard near the falls. Subsequently, Bill Meyer, District Chief for the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Water Resources Division in Honolulu contacted Tim Johns, Chair of the Board of Land and Natural Resources...
Authors
R.W. Jibson, R.L. Baum

Evaluation of landslide hazards with ground-penetrating radar, Lake Michigan coast Evaluation of landslide hazards with ground-penetrating radar, Lake Michigan coast

Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and boreholes were used to investigate a landslide-prone bluff at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore on the northeastern coast of Lake Michigan. Based on borehole observations, sediment underlying the area is homogeneous, consisting of well-sorted, medium to coarse sand. GPR penetrated up to 20 m deep in these sediments, revealing the late Quaternary...
Authors
Walter A. Barnhardt, Bruce E. Jaffe, Robert Kayen

Real-Time Monitoring of Active Landslides Real-Time Monitoring of Active Landslides

Landslides threaten lives and property in every State in the Nation. To reduce the risk from active landslides, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) develops and uses real-time landslide monitoring systems. Monitoring can detect early indications of rapid, catastrophic movement. Up-to-the-minute or real-time monitoring provides immediate notification of landslide activity, potentially...
Authors
Mark E. Reid, Richard G. LaHusen, William L. Ellis
Was this page helpful?