Science for Everyone
Science Center Objects
Science briefs about new landslides research written for non-scientists.
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Date published: February 17, 2021Status: CompletedHow Often Do Rainstorms Cause Debris Flows in Burned Areas of the Southwestern U.S.?
Debris flows, sometimes referred to as mudslides, mudflows, lahars, or debris avalanches, are common types of fast-moving landslides. They usually start on steep hillsides as a result of shallow landslides, or from runoff and erosion that liquefy and accelerate to speeds in excess of 35 mi/h. The consistency of debris flows ranges from thin, watery to thick, rocky mud that can carry large...
Attribution: Natural Hazards, Landslide Hazards Program -
Date published: August 21, 2019Status: CompletedPotential Landslide Paths and Implications for Tsunami Hazards in Glacier Bay, Alaska – An Initial Investigation
Glacier Bay and its inlets are a popular destination for cruise ships and passenger boats; about 540,000 people visited Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve (GBNPP) in 2017. A typical tour of the Bay traverses the entire length up to the glacier calving viewpoints in the Johns Hopkins and Tarr Inlets. A 2018 article “Landslides and Giant Waves” by the National Park Service (NPS) states, “...
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Date published: October 15, 2018Status: CompletedDebris-Flow Forecasts Before Wildfires
Release Date: OCTOBER 15, 2018
USGS scientists have been pursuing a way to assess debris-flow hazards before a fire occurs.
Contacts: Dennis Staley, Lisa A WaldAttribution: Natural Hazards, Landslide Hazards Program -
Date published: June 25, 2018Status: CompletedNear Realtime Maps of Possible Earthquake-Triggered Landslides
Release Date: JUNE 25, 2018
USGS scientists have been developing a system to quickly identify areas where landslides may have been triggered by a significant earthquake.
Contacts: Kate E Allstadt, Ph.D., Lisa A WaldAttribution: Natural Hazards, Landslide Hazards Program -
Date published: June 18, 2018Status: CompletedMountain Permafrost, Climate Change, and Rock Avalanches in Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska
Release Date: JUNE 18, 2018
We usually hear about landslides and avalanches that are caused by large amounts of rainfall, the shaking from earthquakes, or a volcanic eruption, but we may be hearing more about avalanches caused by the (seemingly innocuous) melting of ice in the coming years.
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Date published: June 11, 2018Status: CompletedSlow-Motion Landslides
Release Date: JUNE 11, 2018
Sluggishly-moving earthflows can help us learn what controls the starting and stopping of landslides.
Contacts: William Schulz, Lisa A WaldAttribution: Natural Hazards, Landslide Hazards Program -
Date published: May 15, 2018Status: CompletedLandslides Can Cause More Landslides
Release Date: MAY 15, 2018
The deadliest individual landslides in the U.S. recently were in places where there had previously been a landslide. Why do landslides happen in the same place instead of on nearby slopes that appear to be just as likely, if not more likely, to slide?
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Date published: May 25, 2016Status: CompletedReconstruction of an Avalanche: The West Salt Creek Rock Avalanche
Release Date: MAY 25, 2016
The West Salt Creek Rock Avalanche, Colorado, May 25, 2014