Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Publications

Filter Total Items: 897

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 Iverson

Gravitational stability of three-dimensional stratovolcano edifices Gravitational stability of three-dimensional stratovolcano edifices

Catastrophic flank collapses have occurred at many stratovolcanoes worldwide. We present a three-dimensional (3-D) slope stability analysis for assessing and quantifying both the locations of minimum edifice stability and the expected volumes of potential failure. Our approach can search the materials underlying a topographic surface, represented as a digital elevation model (DEM), and...
Authors
M.E. Reid, S.B. Christian, D.L. Brien

Debris-flow hazards in the Blue Ridge of central Virginia Debris-flow hazards in the Blue Ridge of central Virginia

The June 27, 1995, storm in Madison County, Virginia produced debris flows and floods that devastated a small (130 km 2 ) area of the Blue Ridge in the eastern United States. Although similar debris-flow inducing storm events may return only approximately once every two thousand years to the same given locale, these events affecting a similar small-sized area occur about every three...
Authors
G. Wieczorek, B. A. Morgan, R. Campbell

A method for producing digital probabilistic seismic landslide hazard maps A method for producing digital probabilistic seismic landslide hazard maps

The 1994 Northridge, California, earthquake is the first earthquake for which we have all of the data sets needed to conduct a rigorous regional analysis of seismic slope instability. These data sets include: (1) a comprehensive inventory of triggered landslides, (2) about 200 strong-motion records of the mainshock, (3) 1:24 000-scale geologic mapping of the region, (4) extensive data on
Authors
R.W. Jibson, E. Harp, J. Michael

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 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 Reid, Richard LaHusen, William L. Ellis
Was this page helpful?