Dennis Michael Staley
Current research focuses on landslide hazards in Alaska, specifically on tsunamigenic landslides in Prince William Sound. Past research includes post-wildfire debris flow hazards in the western United States, the geomorphology of alluvial and debris-flow fans and talus deposits in arid and alpine environments, and the assessment of aquatic, riparian and wetland ecosystem health and function.
I am a Research Physical Scientist in the Alaska Volcano Observatory in Anchorage, Alaska, where I currently lead a project related to landslide hazards in Prince William Sound. This project is currently aimed at improving our understanding of the tsunamigenic potential and corresponding risk associated with large rock slope failures in recently deglaciated fiords.
Prior to moving to Alaska in the fall of 2021, I worked at the Geologic Hazards Science Center in Golden, Colorado, where I studied post-fire debris flows. This research focused on advancing our understanding of the topographic, geologic, hydrologic, and meteorological conditions that influence the location, timing, and magnitude of post-fire debris flows for the purpose of improving hazard assessment and early warning.
Before starting my career at the U.S. Geological Survey, I was a Physical Scientist at the U.S. Forest Service in Golden, Colorado, where I focused on developing protocols for assessing the health and function of aquatic, riparian, and wetland ecosystems of the Rocky Mountains.
Professional Experience
2007 - Present: Research Physical Scientist, U.S. Geological Survey, Golden CO and Anchorage AK
2001 - 2007: Physical Scientist, U.S. Forest Service, Golden CO
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. in Earth Sciences, University of Memphis, Memphis TN, 2006.
MSc. in Geography, University of Memphis, Memphis TN, 2000.
BA in Geography, State University of New York - College at Geneseo, Geneseo NY, 1998.
Affiliations and Memberships*
Fellow, Geological Society of America (2020)
E.B. Burwell Jr. Award, Geological Society of America Environmental and Engineering Geology Division (2019)
Honor Award for Superior Service, U.S. Department of Interior (2016)
Meritorious Service Award, Environmental and Engineering Geology Division of the Geological Society of America (2015)
Best Paper Award in Landslides, International Landslide Consortium (2013)
Science and Products
Debris flow initiation by runoff in a recently burned basin: Is grain-by-grain sediment bulking or en masse failure to blame?
Prediction of spatially explicit rainfall intensity–duration thresholds for post-fire debris-flow generation in the western United States
Post-fire debris flows in southern California: Science, prediction, and implications for practitioners
Constraining the relative importance of raindrop- and flow-driven sediment transport mechanisms in postwildfire environments and implications for recovery time scales
Model simulations of flood and debris flow timing in steep catchments after wildfire
Amplification of postwildfire peak flow by debris
The influence of vegetation cover on debris-flow density during an extreme rainfall in the northern Colorado Front Range
Updated logistic regression equations for the calculation of post-fire debris-flow likelihood in the western United States
Objective definition of rainfall intensity-duration thresholds for post-fire flash floods and debris flows in the area burned by the Waldo Canyon fire, Colorado, USA
Analyzing high resolution topography for advancing the understanding of mass and energy transfer through landscapes: A review
Characterizing the primary material sources and dominant erosional processes for post-fire debris-flow initiation in a headwater basin using multi-temporal terrestrial laser scanning data
Landslides in the northern Colorado Front Range caused by rainfall, September 11-13, 2013
Science and Products
Debris flow initiation by runoff in a recently burned basin: Is grain-by-grain sediment bulking or en masse failure to blame?
Prediction of spatially explicit rainfall intensity–duration thresholds for post-fire debris-flow generation in the western United States
Post-fire debris flows in southern California: Science, prediction, and implications for practitioners
Constraining the relative importance of raindrop- and flow-driven sediment transport mechanisms in postwildfire environments and implications for recovery time scales
Model simulations of flood and debris flow timing in steep catchments after wildfire
Amplification of postwildfire peak flow by debris
The influence of vegetation cover on debris-flow density during an extreme rainfall in the northern Colorado Front Range
Updated logistic regression equations for the calculation of post-fire debris-flow likelihood in the western United States
Objective definition of rainfall intensity-duration thresholds for post-fire flash floods and debris flows in the area burned by the Waldo Canyon fire, Colorado, USA
Analyzing high resolution topography for advancing the understanding of mass and energy transfer through landscapes: A review
Characterizing the primary material sources and dominant erosional processes for post-fire debris-flow initiation in a headwater basin using multi-temporal terrestrial laser scanning data
Landslides in the northern Colorado Front Range caused by rainfall, September 11-13, 2013
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government