How many deaths result from landslides each year?
An average of 25-50 people are killed by landslides each year in the United States. The worldwide death toll per year due to landslides is in the thousands. Most landslide fatalities are from rock falls, debris flows, or volcanic debris flows (called lahars).
Twenty-three people were killed, at least 167 injured, and more than 400 homes were damaged by a series of debris flows that impacted the California community of Montecito in Santa Barbara County on January 9, 2018. The debris flows were triggered by heavy rain that fell on steep hillsides that had been burned by the Thomas Wildfire, which at that time was the largest wildfire in California history.
Learn more:
- USGS Landslide Hazards
- U.S. Landslide Inventory Web Application
- The Landslide Handbook - A Guide to Understanding Landslides
Related Content
What should I know about wildfires and debris flows?
How do landslides cause tsunamis?
Under what circumstances do U.S. Geological Survey landslide personnel conduct field work in landslide-prone areas?
Can major landslides and debris flows happen in all areas of the U.S.?
What was the largest landslide in the United States? In the world?
What is the difference between a landslide advisory, a landslide watch, and a landslide warning?
Do human activities cause landslides?
Why study landslides?
What is a landslide and what causes one?
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.
Huge landslide on California’s Big Sur coast continues to change
The Mud Creek landslide on California’s Big Sur coast keeps eroding.
USGS helping to monitor and assess huge Big Sur landslide
USGS is collecting and analyzing air photos to help monitor a huge landslide that occurred May 20 on California’s Big Sur coast.
Predicting Postfire Debris Flows Saves Lives
When wildfires spread and scorch the earth, people like Penny Luehring have to act fast. Secondary impacts such as debris flows can be devastating to nearby communities.
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
A volcano monitoring “spider” deployed to the Oso landslide
A volcano monitoring “spider” was deployed by helicopter to the Oso landslide to track ground movement and seismicity while search-and-rescue operations were ongoing. The spider was equipped with a seismometer (mounted on the far left leg) to track ground shaking and GPS (a dome-shaped instrument on the upper mast) to track subtle ground movement. Data was transmitted
...2014 Landslide in Washington State
Photograph from an aerial survey showing the extent and impacts from the landslide in northwest Washington that occurred on March 22, 2014. The survey was conducted by the Washington State Department of Transportation, Washington State Department of Natural Resources, USGS, and King County Sheriff's Office.
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 at La Conchita, California
Landslide at La Conchita, California
2008 Landslide Near Hongyan Resort, China
The May 12, 2008, Great Sichuan Earthquake, also called the Wenchuan Earthquake, occurred at 14:28 local time, in Sichuan Province, China. The earthquake magnitudes were Mw = 7.9 (USGS), Ms = 8.0 (Chinese Earthquake Administration). The epicenter was 80 km west-northwest of Chengdu, the capital city of Sichuan province. Damage by earthquake-induced landslides was
...Earthquake and Landslides in the Union of the Comoros
A magnitude 4.8 earthquake struck the island of Anjouan in the Union of the Comoros on March 12, 2014. Heavy rainfall trigger landslides and damages were incurred to buildings, roads, and water supplies. As a precaution, more than 3,000 citizens living below the landslides were moved to a refugee camp. The USGS and the OFDA with USAID are providing support and research
...Coastal Landslide Caused by the 2010 Haiti Earthquake
Earthquake-triggered landslide on south coast of Haiti near village of Nan Diamant.
Landslides in Limestone, Haiti
This photo shows a landslide that deposited disaggregated limestone fragments in river valley.