Ben Mirus
My research focuses on landslide hydrology and thresholds for landslide warning systems. My background is in hillslope hydrology and numerical modeling of surface and near-surface hydrological processes, which I apply to improve quantitative characterization of landslide initiation potential. I manage several real-time landslide monitoring sites and the national landslide inventory database.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
2015-present Research Geologist, Landslides Hazards Program, USGS, Golden, CO
2013-2014 Assistant Professor, Department of Geological Sciences, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
2010-2013 Hydrologist, Unsaturated Zone Flow Project, USGS, Menlo Park, CA
2005-2009 Physical Scientist, Unsaturated Zone Flow Project, USGS, Menlo Park, CA
EDUCATION
2009 Ph.D. in Hydrogeology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA
2001 B.A. in Geology, Pomona College, Claremont, CA
Science and Products
National Landslide Hazards Maps (NLHM)
Landslides are a prominent natural hazard across the U.S. globally and can result in fatalities as well as costly and disruptive infrastructure damage. To better understand landslide hazards and risk, we need more accurate assessments of landslide potential across the country. The NLHM project aims to improve understanding of landslide occurrence, susceptibility, and frequency to produce accurate...
Landslide Mechanisms and Forecasting
When and where will landslides happen? How far will they go, how big and how fast will they be? These questions are difficult to answer because many factors contribute to landslide occurrence, magnitude, and mobility; some factors remain unknown, while nearly all are very difficult to quantify and account for. Researchers use surface, subsurface, remote sensing, and laboratory observations along...
Sitka, AK
On August 18, 2015, heavy rainfall triggered around 60 landslides in and around the city of Sitka, AK. The landslides moved downslope rapidly; several were damaging and one of these demolished a home on South Kramer Avenue killing three people.
Seattle Area, Washington
Monitoring at this site is for researching rainfall thresholds for forecasting landslide potential. Shallow landslides are common on coastal bluffs overlooking Puget Sound.
Portland, Oregon
Landslides in the West Hills of Portland pose a hazard to people and property.
Knife Ridge, Elliott State Forest, Oregon
The USGS and its cooperators have installed instruments in a steep hillside about 20 km southeast of Reedsport in the Elliott State Forest.
Poplar Cove, Nantahala National Forest, North Carolina
The USGS and its cooperators have installed instruments in a steep hillside about 17.5 km southwest of Franklin, NC in the Nantahala National Forest.
Mooney Gap, Coweeta Experimental Forest, North Carolina
The USGS and its cooperators have installed instruments in a steep hillside about 16 km southeast of Otto, NC in the Coweeta Experimental Forest.
Bent Creek Experimental Forest, North Carolina
The USGS and its cooperators have installed instruments in a steep hillside about 38.5 km south of Asheville, NC in the Bent Creek Experimental Forest.
Landslides 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?
Integrating Disparate Spatial Datasets from Local to National Scale for Open-Access Web-Based Visualization and Analysis: A Case Study Compiling U.S. Landslide Inventories
Spatial data on landslide occurrence across the U.S. varies greatly in quality, accessibility, and extent. This problem of data variability is common across USGS Mission Areas; it presents an obstacle to developing national-scale products and to identifying areas with relatively good/bad data coverage. We compiled available data of known landslides into a national-scale, searchable online map, whi
Science and Products
National Landslide Hazards Maps (NLHM)
Landslides are a prominent natural hazard across the U.S. globally and can result in fatalities as well as costly and disruptive infrastructure damage. To better understand landslide hazards and risk, we need more accurate assessments of landslide potential across the country. The NLHM project aims to improve understanding of landslide occurrence, susceptibility, and frequency to produce accurate...
Landslide Mechanisms and Forecasting
When and where will landslides happen? How far will they go, how big and how fast will they be? These questions are difficult to answer because many factors contribute to landslide occurrence, magnitude, and mobility; some factors remain unknown, while nearly all are very difficult to quantify and account for. Researchers use surface, subsurface, remote sensing, and laboratory observations along...
Sitka, AK
On August 18, 2015, heavy rainfall triggered around 60 landslides in and around the city of Sitka, AK. The landslides moved downslope rapidly; several were damaging and one of these demolished a home on South Kramer Avenue killing three people.
Seattle Area, Washington
Monitoring at this site is for researching rainfall thresholds for forecasting landslide potential. Shallow landslides are common on coastal bluffs overlooking Puget Sound.
Portland, Oregon
Landslides in the West Hills of Portland pose a hazard to people and property.
Knife Ridge, Elliott State Forest, Oregon
The USGS and its cooperators have installed instruments in a steep hillside about 20 km southeast of Reedsport in the Elliott State Forest.
Poplar Cove, Nantahala National Forest, North Carolina
The USGS and its cooperators have installed instruments in a steep hillside about 17.5 km southwest of Franklin, NC in the Nantahala National Forest.
Mooney Gap, Coweeta Experimental Forest, North Carolina
The USGS and its cooperators have installed instruments in a steep hillside about 16 km southeast of Otto, NC in the Coweeta Experimental Forest.
Bent Creek Experimental Forest, North Carolina
The USGS and its cooperators have installed instruments in a steep hillside about 38.5 km south of Asheville, NC in the Bent Creek Experimental Forest.
Landslides 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?
Integrating Disparate Spatial Datasets from Local to National Scale for Open-Access Web-Based Visualization and Analysis: A Case Study Compiling U.S. Landslide Inventories
Spatial data on landslide occurrence across the U.S. varies greatly in quality, accessibility, and extent. This problem of data variability is common across USGS Mission Areas; it presents an obstacle to developing national-scale products and to identifying areas with relatively good/bad data coverage. We compiled available data of known landslides into a national-scale, searchable online map, whi