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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THRESH—Software for tracking rainfall thresholds for landslide and debris-flow occurrence, user manual
Precipitation thresholds are used in many areas to provide early warning of precipitation-induced landslides and debris flows, and the software distribution THRESH is designed for automated tracking of precipitation, including precipitation forecasts, relative to thresholds for landslide occurrence. This software is also useful for analyzing...
Baum, Rex L.; Fischer, Sarah J.; Vigil, Jacob C.
The 3D Elevation Program—Landslide recognition, hazard assessment, and mitigation support
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) Landslide Hazards Program conducts landslide hazard assessments, pursues landslide investigations and forecasts, provides technical assistance to respond to landslide emergencies, and engages in outreach. All of these activities benefit from the availability of high-resolution, three-dimensional (3D) elevation...
Lukas, Vicki; Carswell, Jr., William J.
Real-time monitoring of landslides
Landslides cause fatalities and property damage throughout the Nation. To reduce the impact from hazardous landslides, the U.S. Geological Survey develops and uses real-time and near-real-time landslide monitoring systems. Monitoring can detect when hillslopes are primed for sliding and can provide early indications of rapid, catastrophic movement...
Reid, Mark E.; LaHusen, Richard G.; Baum, Rex L.; Kean, Jason W.; Schulz, William H.; Highland, Lynn M.
The Landslide Handbook - A Guide to Understanding Landslides
This handbook is intended to be a resource for people affected by landslides to acquire further knowledge, especially about the conditions that are unique to their neighborhoods and communities. Considerable literature and research are available concerning landslides, but unfortunately little of it is synthesized and integrated to address the...
Highland, Lynn M.; Bobrowsky, Peter
Video documentation of experiments at the USGS debris-flow flume 1992–2017
This set of videos presents about 18 hours of footage documenting the 163 experiments conducted at the USGS debris-flow flume from 1992 to 2017. Owing to improvements in video technology over the years, the quality of footage from recent experiments generally exceeds that from earlier experiments.Use the list below to access the individual videos...
Logan, Matthew; Iverson, Richard M.
Landslide Hazards - A National Threat
Landslides occur and can cause damage in all 50 States. Severe storms, earthquakes, volcanic activity, coastal wave attack, and wildfires can cause widespread slope instability. Landslide danger may be high even as emergency personnel are providing rescue and recovery services. To address landslide hazards, several questions must be considered...
Southern California landslides-an overview
Southern California lies astride a major tectonic plate boundary defined by the San Andreas Fault and numerous related faults that are spread across a broad region. This dynamic tectonic environment has created a spectacular landscape of rugged mountains and steep-walled valleys that compose much of the region’s scenic beauty. Unfortunately...
Landslide types and processes
Highland, Lynn
Debris-Flow Hazards in the United States
Highland, Lynn; Ellen, Stephenson D.; Christian, Sarah B.; Brown, William M.
Landslide overview map of the conterminous United States
The accompanying landslide overview map of the conterminous United States is one of a series of National Environmental Overview Maps that summarize geologic, hydrogeologic, and topographic data essential to the assessment of national environmental problems. The map delineates areas where large numbers of landslides exist and areas which are...
Radbruch-Hall, Dorothy H.; Colton, Roger B.; Davies, William E.; Lucchitta, Ivo; Skipp, Betty A.; Varnes, David J.
New Landslide Guidebook for Puerto Rico Residents
A new landslide guidebook released February 5 is now available for Puerto Rico residents to learn more about the landslide hazards that can impact the island.
Landslide Risks Highlighted in New Online Tool
The U.S. Geological Survey today unveiled a new web-based interactive map that marks an important step toward mapping areas that could be at higher risk for future landslides. In collaboration with state geological surveys and other federal agencies, USGS has compiled much of the existing landslide data into a searchable, web-based interactive map called the U.S. Landslide Inventory Map.
Potential Landslide Paths and Implications for Tsunami Hazards in Glacier Bay, Alaska – An Initial Investigation
A new "Science for Everyone" article summarizes a recent publication about the potential of landslide-triggered tsunamis in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve.
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.
Imagery Reveals More Landslides in Western Columbia Gorge
New mapping in the western portion of the Columbia Gorge in Skamania County, Washington, shows previously unrecognized landslides beneath dense forest cover.
EarthView–Landslide Spreads 6 Miles Across Glacier Bay National Park
Two snapshots from Landsat show the extent of a landslide in an Alaska National Park.
Landslides Will Continue to Impact U.S. - Tumbling Rocks Cost Dollars and Lives
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
Rock falls in California’s Sierra Nevada - Pursuing explanations for exfoliation and seemingly spontaneous fracture of rock
Landslide Spreads 6 Miles Across Glacier Bay National Park
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
Debris flows are hazardous flows of rock, sediment and water that surge down mountain slopes and into adjacent valleys. Hydrologist Richard Iverson describes the nature of debris-flow research and explains how debris flow experiments are conducted at the USGS Debris Flow Flume, west of Eugene, Oregon. Spectacular debris flow footage, recorded by Franck Lavigne of the
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.