Can major landslides and debris flows happen in all areas of the U.S.?
Landslides can and do occur in every state and territory of the U.S.; however, the type, severity, and frequency of landslide activity varies from place to place, depending on the terrain, geology, and climate.
Major storms have caused major or widespread landslides in Washington state, Oregon, California, Colorado, Idaho, Hawaii, Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, and elsewhere. Rapid snowmelt has caused landslides in Colorado, Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, and Washington State, as well as other mountainous states. The Appalachian Mountains, the Rocky Mountains, the Pacific Coastal Ranges, and some parts of Alaska and Hawaii have moderate to severe landslide problems. Any area of weak or fractured materials resting on a steep slope can and will likely experience landslides.
Although the physical causes of many landslides cannot be removed, geologic investigations, good engineering practices, and effective enforcement of land-use management regulations can reduce landslide hazards.
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Five Years Later - The Oso (SR 530) Landslide in Washington
The Oso (SR 530) Landslide in Washington - Five Years Later
The following is an updated version of a story first published in March of 2015.
Landslide Assistance from the Air
The USGS uses cutting edge technologies to investigate and forecast landslides and other natural hazards.
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Two snapshots from Landsat show the extent of a landslide in an Alaska National Park.
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Scenic rock cliffs falling to valley floors, rocks ripping out mountainsides, mud and debris moving down valleys at deadly speeds, mines and caves collapsing, and ocean and river bluffs sliding into the water -- all describe one of the nation’s most underestimated hazards -- landslides.
Big Sur Landslide, July 7, 2017
USGS scientists continue to monitor the slide by collecting imagery every couple of weeks, weather permitting. Pilot Bob Van Wagenen, contracted through the Department of the Interior’s Office of Aviation Services, takes air photos for Jon Warrick’s Big Sur Landslide team, flying out of the Watsonville Municipal Airport in a Cessna 182R. He uses a camera-plus-GPS system
...2014 Landslide in Washington State
Photograph from aerial survey showing the upper parts of the 2014 landslide in northwest Washington. Photograph credit: Jonathan Godt, USGS
PubTalk 10/2016 — Rockfalls in California's Sierra Nevada
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On June 28, 2016, a 4,000-foot-high mountainside in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve collapsed, sending rocky debris equivalent to 60 million mid-size SUVs tumbling onto nearby Lamplugh Glacier. Almost 6 weeks later, on August 7, the Operational Land Imager sensor aboard Landsat 8 captured the black stain of the landslide in the image on the right. No such
...Volcano Web Shorts 2: Debris Flows
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Landslide monitoring site
Original rainfall and telemetry station established after the 2009 Station Fire, CA.
2007 Landslide in La Jolla, California
This event occurred on October 4, 2007 in La Jolla, California. A landslide, perhaps first indicated in July by cracks appearing in pavement and homes along Soledad Mountain Road, struck suddenly when a massive slab of hillside broke loose, sending tons of dirt cascading toward streets below.
2005 Landslide in La Conchita, CA
On January 10, 2005, a landslide struck the community of La Conchita in Ventura County, California, destroying or seriously damaging 36 houses and killing 10 people. For a USGS rerpot on this event, please see USGS Open-file report, "Landslide Hazards at La Conchita, California."
Mill Creek landslide
Photo 1: Aerial view of the Mill Creek landslide blocking Highway 50.