Landslide and Debris-Flow Event Summaries

On Saturday, June 8, 2019 at approximately 1:30 PM MST, the Woodbury wildfire ignited approximately 8 kilometers (km) northwest of Superior, Arizona. The 7th largest wildfire in Arizona’s recorded history, the fire burned 501 km2 prior to containment on July 15, 2019. The fire occurred within the Superstition Wilderness of the Tonto National Forest. The wilderness area extends from the...

The most frequent and widespread damaging landslides in the U.S. are induced (started) by prolonged or heavy rainfall. The majority of rainfall-induced landslides are shallow (less than a few meters deep), small, and move rapidly. Many rainfall-induced landslides transform into debris flows (fast-moving slurries of water, soil, and rock) as they travel down steep slopes, especially those that...