Jonathan is the Program Coordinator for Landslide Hazards and leads the only federal program dedicated to landslide science and risk reduction. He is also currently acting as the Volcano Hazards Program Coordinator.
As the Program Coordinator for Landslide Hazards, I am the principal voice for USGS landslide science for the public, media, Congress, states, and other partners. I am responsible for the scientific direction and priorities of the program and oversee its interactions with USGS Science Centers. I began my career with the USGS as a graduate student and until 2014 was a Research Physical Scientists focusing on understanding the physical processes controlling landslide initiation. I have led several technical assistance teams responding to disasters both domestically and abroad helping inform emergency management and other decisions. Currently I am also the Acting Program Coordinator for the Volcano Hazards Program and have held similar acting responsibilities in other leadership positions in the Natural Hazards Mission Area.
Professional Experience
2014 to present – Program Coordinator, Landslide Hazards, U.S. Geological Survey Natural Hazards Mission Area, Golden, CO.
January 2023 to present – Acting Program Coordinator, Volcano Hazards, U.S. Geological Survey Natural Hazards Mission Area, Golden, CO.
July 2022 to December 2022 – Acting Associate Director U.S. Geological Survey Natural Hazards Mission Area, Golden, CO.
February 2019 to April 2020 – Acting Senior Science Advisor for Earthquake and Geologic Hazards, U.S. Geological Survey Natural Hazards Mission Area, Golden, CO.
1998 to 2014 – Research Physical Scientist, U.S. Geological Survey, Geologic Hazards Science Center, Golden CO.
Education and Certifications
2004 – Ph.D. Geography, University of Colorado, Boulder
1998 – M.S. Environmental Science, University of Colorado, Denver
1990 – B.A. Political Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette
Honors and Awards
2022 Department of the Interior Meritorious Service Award for outstanding contributions to the USGS in improving the Nation’s preparedness for landslide and other geologic hazards.
Science and Products
National strategy for landslide loss reduction
When hazard avoidance is not an option: Lessons learned from monitoring the postdisaster Oso landslide, USA
Evaluation of techniques for mitigating snowmelt infiltration-induced landsliding in a highway embankment
Principles for collaborative risk communication: Reducing landslide losses in Puerto Rico
Landslide guide for residents of Puerto Rico
Progress and lessons learned from responses to landslide disasters
Landslides across the United States: Occurrence, susceptibility, and data limitations
Bayesian analysis of the impact of rainfall data product on simulated slope failure for North Carolina locations
Landslides triggered by Hurricane Maria: Assessment of an extreme event in Puerto Rico
Hurricane Maria hit the island of Puerto Rico on 20 September 2017 and triggered more than 40,000 landslides in at least three-fourths of Puerto Rico’s 78 municipalities. The number of landslides that occurred during this event was two orders of magnitude greater than those reported from previous hurricanes. Landslide source areas were commonly limited to surficial soils but also extended into und
Tropical storm-induced landslide potential using combined field monitoring and numerical modeling
Science for a risky world—A U.S. Geological Survey plan for risk research and applications
Field and laboratory hydraulic characterization of landslide-prone soils in the Oregon Coast Range and implications for hydrologic simulation
External Grants Overview
Preliminary Landslide Assessments
Preliminary Analysis of Satellite Imagery and Seismic Observations of the Nuugaatsiaq Landslide and Tsunami, Greenland
Preliminary Landslide Susceptibility Maps and Data for Hawaii
Portland, Oregon
Knife Ridge, Elliott State Forest, Oregon
Poplar Cove, Nantahala National Forest, North Carolina
Mooney Gap, Coweeta Experimental Forest, North Carolina
Bent Creek Experimental Forest, North Carolina
Understanding Fluid Injection Induced Seismicity
Interferometric synthetic aperture radar data from 2020 for landslides at Barry Arm Fjord, Alaska
Map and model input and output data for the north Charlotte Creek Basin, Douglas County, Oregon, for analysis of debris-flow initiation resulting from the storm of November 17 - 19, 1996
Map data of landslides triggered by the 25 April 2015 Mw 7.8 Gorkha, Nepal earthquake
An Open Repository of Earthquake-Triggered Ground-Failure Inventories
Results of Hydrologic Monitoring of a Landslide-Prone Hillslope in Portland's West Hills, Oregon, 2006-2017
Map and model input and output data covering N 40.0 40.375 and W 105.25 105.625 in the northern Colorado Front Range for analysis of debris flow initiation resulting from the storm of September 9 13, 2013
Maps Showing Locations of Damaging Landslides Caused by El Nino Rainstorms, Winter Season 1997-98, San Francisco Bay Region, California
Map showing locations of damaging landslides in Sonoma County, California, resulting from 1997-98 El Nino rainstorms
Map showing locations of damaging landslides in Santa Clara County, California, resulting from 1997-98 El Nino rainstorms
Map showing locations of damaging landslides in Solano County, California, resulting from 1997-98 El Nino rainstorms
Map showing locations of damaging landslides in Marin County, California, resulting from 1997-98 El Nino rainstorms
Map showing locations of damaging landslides in San Francisco City and County, California, resulting from 1997-98 El Nino rainstorms
Map showing locations of damaging landslides in Napa County, California, resulting from 1997-98 El Nino rainstorms
Map showing locations of damaging landslides in Santa Cruz County, California, resulting from 1997-98 El Nino rainstorms
Map showing locations of damaging landslides in San Mateo County, California, resulting from 1997-98 El Nino rainstorms
Map showing locations of damaging landslides in Contra Costa County, California, resulting from 1997-98 El Nino rainstorms
Science and Products
- Publications
Filter Total Items: 79
National strategy for landslide loss reduction
Executive SummaryLandslide hazards are present in all 50 States and most U.S. territories, and they affect lives, property, infrastructure, and the environment. Landslides are the downslope movement of earth materials under the force of gravity. They can occur without any obvious trigger. Widespread or severe landslide events are often driven by such hazards as hurricanes, earthquakes, volcanicAuthorsJonathan W. Godt, Nathan J. Wood, Alice Pennaz, Connor M. Dacey, Benjamin B. Mirus, Lauren N. Schaefer, Stephen L. SlaughterWhen hazard avoidance is not an option: Lessons learned from monitoring the postdisaster Oso landslide, USA
On 22 March 2014, a massive, catastrophic landslide occurred near Oso, Washington, USA, sweeping more than 1 km across the adjacent valley flats and killing 43 people. For the following 5 weeks, hundreds of workers engaged in an exhaustive search, rescue, and recovery effort directly in the landslide runout path. These workers could not avoid the risks posed by additional large-scale slope collapsAuthorsMark E. Reid, Jonathan W. Godt, Richard G LaHusen, Stephen L Slaughter, Thomas C. Badger, Brian D. Collins, William Schulz, Rex L. Baum, Jeffrey A. Coe, Edwin L Harp, Kevin M. Schmidt, Richard M. Iverson, Joel B. Smith, Ralph Haugerud, David L. GeorgeEvaluation of techniques for mitigating snowmelt infiltration-induced landsliding in a highway embankment
Infiltration-induced landslides threaten transportation infrastructure around the world, and impose both direct costs through repair and remediation work and indirect costs through lost economic activity. Therefore, finding the most cost-effective techniques to mitigate slope failures that can impact critical infrastructure links is desirable. The Straight Creek landslide, which affects a segmentAuthorsEric Hinds, Ning Lu, Benjamin B. Mirus, Jonathan W. Godt, Alexandra WayllacePrinciples for collaborative risk communication: Reducing landslide losses in Puerto Rico
Landslides are frequent and damaging natural hazards that threaten the people and the natural and built environments of Puerto Rico. In 2017, more than 70,000 landslides were triggered across the island by heavy rainfall from Hurricane María, prompting requests by local professionals for landslide education and outreach materials. This article describes a novel collaborative risk communication fraAuthorsJocelyn West, Lindsay Ann Davis, Raquel Lugo Bendezú, Yahaira Álvarez Gandía, K. Stephen Hughes, Jonathan W. Godt, Lori PeekLandslide guide for residents of Puerto Rico
No abstract available.AuthorsLindsay Ann Davis, Jocelyn West, Lori Peek, K. Stephen Hughes, James Joyce, William Schulz, Jonathan W. Godt, Darysabel Perez Martinez, Gisela Baez Sanchez, Glorymar Gomez Perez, Carolina Hincapie Cardenas, Christa von Hillebrandt, Lorna Jaramillo-Nieves, Jenniffer Santos-Hernandez, Raquel Lugo Bendezú, Yahaira Álvarez GandíaProgress and lessons learned from responses to landslide disasters
Landslides have the incredible power to transform landscapes and also, tragically, to cause disastrous societal impacts. Whereas the mechanics and effects of many landslide disasters have been analyzed in detail, the means by which landslide experts respond to these events has garnered much less attention. Herein, we evaluate nine landslide response case histories conducted by the U.S. GeologicalAuthorsBrian D. Collins, Mark E. Reid, Jeffrey A. Coe, Jason W. Kean, Rex L. Baum, Randall W. Jibson, Jonathan W. Godt, Stephen Slaughter, Greg M. StockLandslides 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 McCoyBayesian analysis of the impact of rainfall data product on simulated slope failure for North Carolina locations
In the past decades, many different approaches have been developed in the literature to quantify the load-carrying capacity and geotechnical stability (or the Factor of Safety, F_s) of variably saturated hillslopes. Much of this work has focused on a deterministic characterization of hillslope stability. Yet, simulated F_s values are subject to considerable uncertainty due to our inability to charAuthorsSoni Yatheendradas, Dalia Kirschbaum, Grey Nearing, Jasper A. Vrugt, Rex L. Baum, Rick Wooten, Ning Lu, Jonathan W. GodtLandslides triggered by Hurricane Maria: Assessment of an extreme event in Puerto Rico
Hurricane Maria hit the island of Puerto Rico on 20 September 2017 and triggered more than 40,000 landslides in at least three-fourths of Puerto Rico’s 78 municipalities. The number of landslides that occurred during this event was two orders of magnitude greater than those reported from previous hurricanes. Landslide source areas were commonly limited to surficial soils but also extended into und
AuthorsErin Bessette-Kirton, Corina Cerovski-Darriau, William Schulz, Jeffrey A. Coe, Jason W. Kean, Jonathan W. Godt, Matthew A. Thomas, K. Stephen HughesTropical storm-induced landslide potential using combined field monitoring and numerical modeling
When heavy rainfall, such as that associated with tropical storms, falls on steep hillsides, shallow landslides are often one of the damaging consequences. To assess landslide potential from heavy rainfall, a strategy of combined numerical simulation and field monitoring of variably saturated hillslope conditions is developed. To test the combined method, hillslope hydrologic data from paired fielAuthorsPan Chen, Ning Lu, Giuseppe Formetta, Jonathan W. Godt, Alexandra WayllaceScience for a risky world—A U.S. Geological Survey plan for risk research and applications
Executive SummaryNatural hazards—including earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, landslides, hurricanes, droughts, floods, wildfires, geomagnetic storms, and pandemics—can wreak havoc on human communities, the economy, and natural resources for years following an initial event. Hazards can claim lives and cause billions of dollars in damage to homes and infrastructure as well as lost or comprAuthorsK. A. Ludwig, David W. Ramsey, Nathan J. Wood, A.B. Pennaz, Jonathan W. Godt, Nathaniel G. Plant, Nicolas Luco, Todd A. Koenig, Kenneth W. Hudnut, Donyelle K. Davis, Patricia R. BrightField and laboratory hydraulic characterization of landslide-prone soils in the Oregon Coast Range and implications for hydrologic simulation
Unsaturated zone flow processes are an important focus of landslide hazard estimation. Differences in soil hydraulic behavior between wetting and drying conditions (i.e., hydraulic hysteresis) may be important in landslide triggering. Hydraulic hysteresis can complicate soil hydraulic parameter estimates and impact prediction capability. This investigation focused on hydraulic property estimationAuthorsBrian A. Ebel, Jonathan W. Godt, Ning Lu, Jeffrey A. Coe, Joel B. Smith, Rex L. Baum - Science
External Grants Overview
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides support for risk communication, planning and coordination, mapping and assessments, and data collection of landslide hazards to develop information, knowledge, and methods that leads to the reduction of losses from landslides and increase in public safety.Preliminary Landslide Assessments
The USGS seeks to provide effective situational awareness about long-term and ongoing hazardous events to improve emergency response, inform the public, and minimize societal disruption. Large, highly mobile landslides generate seismic signals that can be detected by seismic monitoring networks and leave scars and deposits that can be detected from high-resolution remote-sensing imagery. Following...Preliminary Analysis of Satellite Imagery and Seismic Observations of the Nuugaatsiaq Landslide and Tsunami, Greenland
Disclaimer This information is preliminary or provisional and is subject to revision. It is being provided to meet the need for timely science to assess ongoing hazards. The information has not received final approval by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and is provided on the condition that neither the USGS nor the U.S. Government shall be held liable for any damages resulting from the authorized...Preliminary Landslide Susceptibility Maps and Data for Hawaii
Landslide Susceptibility Data and Maps provide tools for hazard assessment prior to an event that may cause landslides.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.Understanding Fluid Injection Induced Seismicity
Fluid injection induced seismicity has been reported since the 1960s. There are currently more than 150,000 injection wells associated with oil and gas production in 34 states in the conterminous US. Pore pressure disturbance caused by injection is generally considered the culprit for injection induced seismicity, but, not all injection causes seismicity. It is not well understood what mechanical - Data
Interferometric synthetic aperture radar data from 2020 for landslides at Barry Arm Fjord, Alaska
Subaerial landslides at the head of Barry Arm Fjord in southern Alaska could generate tsunamis (if they rapidly failed into the Fjord) and are therefore a potential threat to people, marine interests, and infrastructure throughout the Prince William Sound region. Knowledge of ongoing landslide movement is essential to understanding the threat posed by the landslides. Because of the landslides' remMap and model input and output data for the north Charlotte Creek Basin, Douglas County, Oregon, for analysis of debris-flow initiation resulting from the storm of November 17 - 19, 1996
Heavy rainfall during mid-November 1996 induced debris flows throughout the southern Oregon Coast Range, including more than 150 in the immediate vicinity of north Charlotte Creek (Coe and others, 2011). Data in this project pertain to a 2.4-km2 area centered at N 43.65° and W 123.94° which an area where high concentrations of debris flows occurred. These data include a subset of a map of landslidMap data of landslides triggered by the 25 April 2015 Mw 7.8 Gorkha, Nepal earthquake
The 25 April 2015 Mw 7.8 Gorkha earthquake and its aftershocks triggered about 25,000 landslides over an area of more than 30,000 km2 in the Greater and Lesser Himalaya of Nepal and China. In order to understand the relation among landslide location, earthquake shaking, topography, tectonic geologic and climatic setting, earthquake-triggered landslides were mapped using high-resolution (An Open Repository of Earthquake-Triggered Ground-Failure Inventories
Earthquake-triggered ground-failure, such as landsliding and liquefaction, can contribute significantly to losses, but our current ability to accurately include them in earthquake hazard analyses is limited. The development of robust and transportable models requires access to numerous inventories of ground failure triggered by earthquakes that span a broad range of terrains, shaking characteristiResults of Hydrologic Monitoring of a Landslide-Prone Hillslope in Portland's West Hills, Oregon, 2006-2017
The West Hills of Portland, in the southern Tualatin Mountains, trend northwest along the west side of Portland, Oregon. These silt-mantled mountains receive significant wet-season precipitation and are prone to sliding during wet conditions, occasionally resulting in significant property damage or casualties. In an effort to develop a baseline for interpretive analysis of the groundwater responseMap and model input and output data covering N 40.0 40.375 and W 105.25 105.625 in the northern Colorado Front Range for analysis of debris flow initiation resulting from the storm of September 9 13, 2013
Rainfall on 913 September 2013 triggered at least 1,138 debris flows in a 3430 km2 area of the Colorado Front Range. Most flows were triggered in response to two intense rainfall periods, one 12.5-hour-long period on 1112 September, and one 8-hour-long period on 12 September. Data in this project pertain to an area bounded by N 40.0 40.375 and W 105.25 105.625 which includes many of the areas wh - Maps
Maps Showing Locations of Damaging Landslides Caused by El Nino Rainstorms, Winter Season 1997-98, San Francisco Bay Region, California
Heavy rainfall associated with a strong El Nino caused over $150 million in landslide damage in the 10-county San Francisco Bay region during the winter and spring of 1998. Reports of landsliding began in early January 1998 and continued throughout the winter and spring. On February 9, President Clinton declared all 10 counties eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) disaster assisMap showing locations of damaging landslides in Sonoma County, California, resulting from 1997-98 El Nino rainstorms
Heavy rainfall associated with a strong El Nino caused over $150 million in landslide damage in the 10-county San Francisco Bay region during the winter and spring of 1998. A team of USGS scientists collected information on landslide locations and damage costs. About $21 million in damages were assessed in Sonoma County.Map showing locations of damaging landslides in Santa Clara County, California, resulting from 1997-98 El Nino rainstorms
Heavy rainfall associated with a strong El Nino caused over $150 million in landslide damage in the 10-county San Francisco Bay region during the winter and spring of 1998. A team of USGS scientists collected information on landslide locations and damage costs. About $7.6 million in damages were assessed in Santa Clara County.Map showing locations of damaging landslides in Solano County, California, resulting from 1997-98 El Nino rainstorms
Heavy rainfall associated with a strong El Nino caused over $150 million in landslide damage in the 10-county San Francisco Bay region during the winter and spring of 1998. A team of USGS scientists collected information on landslide locations and damage costs. About $13.5 million in damages were assessed in Solano County.Map showing locations of damaging landslides in Marin County, California, resulting from 1997-98 El Nino rainstorms
Heavy rainfall associated with a strong El Nino caused over $150 million in landslide damage in the 10-county San Francisco Bay region during the winter and spring of 1998. A team of USGS scientists collected information on landslide locations and damage costs. About $2.5 million in damages were assessed in Marin County.Map showing locations of damaging landslides in San Francisco City and County, California, resulting from 1997-98 El Nino rainstorms
Heavy rainfall associated with a strong El Nino caused over $150 million in landslide damage in the 10-county San Francisco Bay region during the winter and spring of 1998. A team of USGS scientists collected information on landslide locations and damage costs. About $4 million in damages were assessed in San Francisco City and County.Map showing locations of damaging landslides in Napa County, California, resulting from 1997-98 El Nino rainstorms
Heavy rainfall associated with a strong El Nino caused over $150 million in landslide damage in the 10-county San Francisco Bay region during the winter and spring of 1998. A team of USGS scientists collected information on landslide locations and damage costs. Napa County was relatively unaffected in comparison to other counties in the region with approximately $1.1 million in damages assessed.Map showing locations of damaging landslides in Santa Cruz County, California, resulting from 1997-98 El Nino rainstorms
Heavy rainfall associated with a strong El Nino caused over $150 million in landslide damage in the 10-county San Francisco Bay region during the winter and spring of 1998. A team of USGS scientists collected information on landslide locations and damage costs. About $14.5 million in damages were assessed in Santa Cruz County.Map showing locations of damaging landslides in San Mateo County, California, resulting from 1997-98 El Nino rainstorms
Heavy rainfall associated with a strong El Nino caused over $150 million in landslide damage in the 10-county San Francisco Bay region during the winter and spring of 1998. A team of USGS scientists collected information on landslide locations and damage costs. About $55 million in damages were assessed in San Mateo County. The only fatality attributed to landsliding in the region during the perioMap showing locations of damaging landslides in Contra Costa County, California, resulting from 1997-98 El Nino rainstorms
Heavy rainfall associated with a strong El Nino caused over $150 million in landslide damage in the 10-county San Francisco Bay region during the winter and spring of 1998. A team of USGS scientists collected information on landslide locations and damage costs. About $27 million in damages were assessed in Contra Costa County. - Multimedia
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