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
In-situ monitoring of infiltration-induced instability of I-70 embankment west of the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels, phase III
A new era of debris flow experiments in the Oregon woods
Hillslopes in humid-tropical climates aren’t always wet: Implications for hydrologic response and landslide initiation in Puerto Rico, USA
The devastating impacts of the widespread flooding and landsliding in Puerto Rico following the September 2017 landfall of Hurricane Maria highlight the increasingly extreme atmospheric disturbances and enhanced hazard potential in mountainous humid‐tropical climate zones. Long‐standing conceptual models for hydrologically driven hazards in Puerto Rico posit that hillslope soils remain wet through
Deep Learning as a tool to forecast hydrologic response for landslide-prone hillslopes
Community for data integration 2018 funded project report
Temporal and spatial variability of shallow soil moisture across four planar hillslopes on a tropical ocean island, San Cristóbal, Galápagos
Landslides across the United States: Occurrence, susceptibility, and data limitations
The future of landslides’ past—A framework for assessing consecutive landsliding systems
Conceptual framework for assessing disturbance impacts on debris-flow initiation thresholds across hydroclimatic settings
Assessing the feasibility of satellite-based thresholds for hydrologically driven landsliding
Physically based estimation of rainfall thresholds triggering shallow landslides in volcanic slopes of southern Italy
Effects of infiltration characteristics on the spatial-temporal evolution of stability of an interstate highway embankment
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
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Filter Total Items: 46
In-situ monitoring of infiltration-induced instability of I-70 embankment west of the Eisenhower-Johnson Memorial Tunnels, phase III
A new methodology that uses recent advances in unsaturated soil mechanics and hydrology was developed and tested. The approach consists of using soil suction and moisture content field information in the prediction of the likelihood of landslide movement. The testing ground was an active landslide on I-70 west of the Eisenhower/Johnson Memorial Tunnels. A joint effort between Colorado School of MiAuthorsAlexandra Wayllace, Ning Lu, Benjamin B. MirusA new era of debris flow experiments in the Oregon woods
No abstract available.AuthorsMaciej Krzysztof Obryk, David L. George, Benjamin B. MirusHillslopes in humid-tropical climates aren’t always wet: Implications for hydrologic response and landslide initiation in Puerto Rico, USA
The devastating impacts of the widespread flooding and landsliding in Puerto Rico following the September 2017 landfall of Hurricane Maria highlight the increasingly extreme atmospheric disturbances and enhanced hazard potential in mountainous humid‐tropical climate zones. Long‐standing conceptual models for hydrologically driven hazards in Puerto Rico posit that hillslope soils remain wet through
AuthorsMatthew A. Thomas, Benjamin B. Mirus, Joel B. SmithDeep Learning as a tool to forecast hydrologic response for landslide-prone hillslopes
Empirical thresholds for landslide warning systems have benefitted from the incorporation of soil‐hydrologic monitoring data, but the mechanistic basis for their predictive capabilities is limited. Although physically based hydrologic models can accurately simulate changes in soil moisture and pore pressure that promote landslides, their utility is restricted by high computational costs and nonuniAuthorsElijah Orland, Joshua J. Roering, Matthew A. Thomas, Benjamin B. MirusCommunity for data integration 2018 funded project report
The U.S. Geological Survey Community for Data Integration annually funds small projects focusing on data integration for interdisciplinary research, innovative data management, and demonstration of new technologies. This report provides a summary of the 10 projects funded in fiscal year 2018, outlining their goals, activities, and accomplishments.AuthorsLeslie Hsu, Caitlin M. Andrews, John B. Bradford, Daniel D. Buscombe, Katherine J. Chase, Wesley M. Daniel, Jeanne M. Jones, Pam Fuller, Benjamin B. Mirus, Matthew E. Neilson, Hans W. Vraga, Jessica J. Walker, Dennis H. Walworth, Jonathan Warrick, Jake Weltzin, Daniel J. Wieferich, Nathan J. WoodTemporal and spatial variability of shallow soil moisture across four planar hillslopes on a tropical ocean island, San Cristóbal, Galápagos
Study Region: This paper provides a summary of findings from temporal and spatial studies of soil water content on planar hillslopes across the equatorial island of San Cristóbal, Galápagos (Ecuador). Study Focus: Soil water content (SWC) was measured to generate temporal and spatial records to determine seasonal variation and to investigate how the behavior of surface and near-surface root-zoneAuthorsMadelyn S. Percy, Diego A. Riveros-Iregui, Benjamin B. Mirus, Larry K. BenningerLandslides across the United States: Occurrence, susceptibility, and data limitations
Detailed information about landslide occurrence is the foundation for advancing process understanding, susceptibility mapping, and risk reduction. Despite the recent revolution in digital elevation data and remote sensing technologies, landslide mapping remains resource intensive. Consequently, a modern, comprehensive map of landslide occurrence across the United States (USA) has not been compiledAuthorsBenjamin B. Mirus, Eric S. Jones, Rex L. Baum, Jonathan W. Godt, Stephen L. Slaughter, Matthew Crawford, Jeremy T. Lancaster, Thomas Stanley, Dalia Kirschbaum, William J. Burns, Robert G. Schmitt, Kassandra O Lindsey, Kevin McCoyThe future of landslides’ past—A framework for assessing consecutive landsliding systems
Landslides often happen where they have already occurred in the past. The potential of landslides to reduce or enhance conditions for further landsliding has long been recognized and has often been reported, but the mechanisms and spatial and temporal scales of these processes have previously received little specific attention. Despite a preponderance of qualitative and anecdotal evidence, there hAuthorsA. Temme, F. Guzzetti, J. Samia, Benjamin B. MirusConceptual framework for assessing disturbance impacts on debris-flow initiation thresholds across hydroclimatic settings
The destructive and deadly nature of debris flows has motivated research into empirical rainfall thresholds to provide situational awareness, inform early warning systems, and reduce loss of life and property. Disturbances such as wildfire and land-cover change can influence the hydrological processes of infiltration and runoff generation; in steep terrain this typically lowers empirical thresholdAuthorsBenjamin B. Mirus, Dennis M. Staley, Jason W. Kean, Joel B. Smith, Rick Wooten, Luke A. McGuire, Brian A. EbelAssessing the feasibility of satellite-based thresholds for hydrologically driven landsliding
Elevated soil moisture and heavy precipitation contribute to landslides worldwide. These environmental variables are now being resolved with satellites at spatiotemporal scales that could offer new perspectives on the development of landslide warning systems. However, the application of these data to hydro-meteorological thresholds (which account for antecedent soil moisture and rainfall) first neAuthorsMatthew A. Thomas, Brian D. Collins, Benjamin B. MirusPhysically based estimation of rainfall thresholds triggering shallow landslides in volcanic slopes of southern Italy
On the 4th and 5th of March 2005, about 100 rainfall-induced landslides occurred along volcanic slopes of Camaldoli Hill in Naples, Italy. These started as soil slips in the upper substratum of incoherent and welded volcaniclastic deposits, then evolved downslope according to debris avalanche and debris flow mechanisms. This specific case of slope instability on complex volcaniclastic deposits remAuthorsF. Fusco, P. De Vita, Benjamin B. Mirus, Rex L. Baum, V. Allocca, R. Tufano, D. CalcaterraEffects of infiltration characteristics on the spatial-temporal evolution of stability of an interstate highway embankment
Infiltration-induced landslides are among the most common natural disasters threatening modern civilization, but conventional methods for studying the triggering mechanisms and predicting the occurrence of these slides are limited by incomplete consideration of underlying physical processes and the lack of precision inherent in limit-equilibrium analyses. To address this problem the spatial-temporAuthorsEric Hinds, Ning Lu, Benjamin B. Mirus, Alexandra WayllaceNon-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.