Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Kate E Allstadt, Ph.D.

Kate Allstadt joined the team at the USGS Geologic Hazards Science Center in Golden, CO in June 2015.

Kate uses multidisciplinary applications of seismic and geophysical techniques to study landslide, earthquake, and volcano hazards. She currently focuses on earthquake-triggered ground failure, near-real-time earthquake impacts, seismic monitoring of debris flows and lahars, and studies of massive rapid landslides using seismic methods and numerical modeling.

Kate cofounded the ongoing GeoGirls at Mount St. Helens field camp designed to keep middle school girls interested in science through hands-on field experiences and interactions with strong science role models.

Research Interests

Multidisciplinary Applications of Seismology, Hazard and Disaster mitigation, Seismically Induced Landslides, Landslide Seismology, Earthquake and Volcano monitoring, Real-time products, Engineering seismology and Site Effects

Education

2009 – 2013: University of Washington, PhD, Seismology/Geophysics

2008 – 2009: Université Joseph Fourier, Grenoble, France and ROSE School, Pavia, Italy, M.S., Engineering Seismology

2003 - 2008: Northeastern University, B.S., Environmental Geology

Research and Professional Experience

2015 – present: Research Geophysicst, USGS Geologic Hazards Science Center, Golden CO

2014 – 2015: National Science Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow at USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory: Toward early detection and tracking of mass movements at volcanoes using seismic methods.

2013 – 2014: Postdoctoral Researcher, University of Washington: M9 Cascadia megaquakes: reducing risk through science, engineering, and planning.

2009 – 2013: Duty Seismologist for Pacific Northwest Seismic Network and Research Assistant & Teaching Assistant, University of Washington

 

Science and Products

link
Excerpt of satellite image showing landslide impacts to PR-357 near the Rio Rosario in the Maricao Municipality

Landslides Triggered by the 2020 Puerto Rico Earthquake Sequence

A magnitude 6.4 earthquake occurred near Barrio Indios, Guayanilla, Puerto Rico on January 7, 2020. A study of the triggered landslides is ongoing.
By
Natural Hazards, Landslide Hazards
link

Landslides Triggered by the 2020 Puerto Rico Earthquake Sequence

A magnitude 6.4 earthquake occurred near Barrio Indios, Guayanilla, Puerto Rico on January 7, 2020. A study of the triggered landslides is ongoing.
Learn More
link
map showing North America and South America with dots

Global Earthquake-Triggered Ground Failure Inventory Database

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.
By
Natural Hazards, Landslide Hazards
link

Global Earthquake-Triggered Ground Failure Inventory Database

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.
Learn More
link
Overview map showing the location of the landslide (yellow star) relative to the five broadband seismic stations.

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...
By
Natural Hazards, Landslide Hazards, Geologic Hazards Science Center
link

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...
Learn More
link
The Turnagain Heights landslide in Anchorage, occurred along a steep bluff fronting Knik Arm of Cook Inlet.

Near Realtime Maps of Possible Earthquake-Triggered Landslides

Release Date: JUNE 25, 2018 USGS scientists have been developing a system to quickly identify areas where landslides may have been triggered by a significant earthquake.
By
Natural Hazards, Landslide Hazards
link

Near Realtime Maps of Possible Earthquake-Triggered Landslides

Release Date: JUNE 25, 2018 USGS scientists have been developing a system to quickly identify areas where landslides may have been triggered by a significant earthquake.
Learn More
link
USGS science for a changing world logo

An Interactive Web-based Application for Earthquake-triggered Ground Failure Inventories

Inventories of landslides and liquefaction triggered by major earthquakes are key research tools that can be used to develop and test hazard models. To eliminate redundant effort, we created a centralized and interactive repository of ground failure inventories that currently hosts 32 inventories generated by USGS and non-USGS authors and designed a pipeline for adding more as they become availabl
By
Community for Data Integration (CDI)
link

An Interactive Web-based Application for Earthquake-triggered Ground Failure Inventories

Inventories of landslides and liquefaction triggered by major earthquakes are key research tools that can be used to develop and test hazard models. To eliminate redundant effort, we created a centralized and interactive repository of ground failure inventories that currently hosts 32 inventories generated by USGS and non-USGS authors and designed a pipeline for adding more as they become availabl
Learn More
link
Aerial photo of the West Salt Creek rock avalanche

Reconstruction of an Avalanche: The West Salt Creek Rock Avalanche

Release Date: MAY 25, 2016 The West Salt Creek Rock Avalanche, Colorado, May 25, 2014
By
Natural Hazards, Landslide Hazards
link

Reconstruction of an Avalanche: The West Salt Creek Rock Avalanche

Release Date: MAY 25, 2016 The West Salt Creek Rock Avalanche, Colorado, May 25, 2014
Learn More

Comprehensive Global Database of Earthquake-Induced Landslide Events and Their Impacts (ver. 2.0, February 2022)

Currently, there are many datasets describing landslides caused by individual earthquakes, and global inventories of earthquake-induced landslides (EQIL). However, until recently, there were no datasets that provide a comprehensive description of the impacts of earthquake-induced landslide events. In this data release, we present an up-to-date, comprehensive global database containing all literatu
By
Earthquake Hazards

Earthquake-Triggered Ground Failure associated with the M7.1 2018 Southcentral, Alaska Earthquake

The November 30, 2018, magnitude (Mw) 7.1 Anchorage, Alaska earthquake triggered substantial ground failure throughout Anchorage and surrounding areas (Grant et al., 2020; Jibson et al., 2020). The earthquake was an intraslab event with a focal depth of about 47 km and an epicenter about 16 km north of the city of Anchorage. Peak ground accelerations reached ∼30% g. Despite the relatively low
By
Natural Hazards, Earthquake Hazards, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Seismogenic Landslides and other Mass Movements

This data release is a compilation of known mass movements that generated seismic signals recorded by seismic networks. It represents a major update of a previous data release (Allstadt and others, 2017) available at https://doi.org/10.5066/F7251H3W. This update includes all events published in the previous data release along with more instances of landslides, debris flows, snow avalanches, outbur
By
Natural Hazards, Landslide Hazards, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Rapid Response Landslide Inventory for the 14 August 2021 M7.2 Nippes, Haiti, Earthquake

We present a preliminary point inventory of the landslides associated with the M7.2 Nippes, Haiti, earthquake that occurred on August 14, 2021. The mapping was part of rapid response efforts to identify hazards for situational awareness and emergency response by humanitarian aid organizations. This inventory accompanies an Open-File Report detailing the hazards presented by the landslides triggere
By
Landslide Hazards, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Inventory of liquefaction features triggered by the 7 January 2020 M6.4 Puerto Rico earthquake

This dataset consists of an inventory of the locations of liquefaction-related phenomena triggered by the 7 January 2020 M6.4 Puerto Rico earthquake. The inventory is primarily based on field observations collected during post-earthquake reconnaissance conducted by the USGS and partners (Allstadt and others, 2020, Interactive Dashboard). Some additional locations were added based on reconnaissance
By
Landslide Hazards

Initial Observations of Landslides triggered by the 2018 Anchorage, Alaska earthquake

This data release provides the locations of 43 landslides that occurred during the 2018 Anchorage, Alaska earthquake mapped from high-resolution lidar (1-m). Lidar data can be accessed via the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys elevation portal (https://elevation.alaska.gov). Each landslide is represented as a point corresponding to the approximate location of the mid-point of t
By
Natural Hazards, Earthquake Hazards, Landslide Hazards, Geologic Hazards Science Center, Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Recovery Activities

Field observations of ground failure triggered by the 2020 Puerto Rico earthquake sequence

This dataset consists of over 800 field observations of ground failure (landslides, lateral spreading, and liquefaction) and other damage triggered by the 2019-2020 Puerto Rico earthquake sequence. The sequence started with a M4.7 earthquake on 28 December 2019, followed by many more earthquakes, including 15 larger than M5 (as of 7 July 2020). The M6.4 mainshock, which is thought to have triggere
By
Earthquake Hazards, Landslide Hazards, National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Inventory of landslides triggered by the 2020 Puerto Rico earthquake sequence

Here we present an inventory of remotely and field-observed landslides triggered by 2019-2020 Puerto Rico earthquake sequence. The inventory was mapped using pre- and post-event satellite imagery (PR_landslide_inventory_imagery.csv), an extensive collection of field observations (https://doi.org/10.5066/P96QNFMB) and using pre-earthquake lidar as guidance for mapping polygons with more precise loc
By
Natural Hazards, Earthquake Hazards, Landslide Hazards, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Debris-flow inundation and damage data from the 9 January 2018 Montecito Debris-Flow Event

On 9 January 2018, intense rain above Montecito, California triggered a series of debris flows from steep catchments in the Santa Ynez Mountains. These catchments were burned three weeks earlier by the 1140 km2 Thomas Fire. After exiting the mountain front, the debris flows traveled over 3 km down a series of alluvial fans, killing 23 people and damaging over 400 homes. To understand the flow dyna
By
Landslide Hazards, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Web Application for Viewing Earthquake- Triggered Ground-Failure Inventories

The web application is hosted through the U.S. Geological Survey's ArcGIS Online account. It provides users the opportunity to browse availible ground-failure datasets on a global scale. The user has multiple tools to aid in the acquisition of available datasets.
By
Earthquake Hazards, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Seismogenic Landslides, Debris Flows, and Outburst Floods in the Western United States and Canada from 1977 to 2017

This data release is a compilation of known landslides, debris flows, lahars, and outburst floods that generated seismic signals observable on existing seismic networks. The data release includes basic information about each event such as location, volume, area, and runout distances as well as information about seismic detections and the location of seismic data, photos, maps, GIS files, and links
By
Landslide Hazards, Geologic Hazards Science Center

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 characteristi
By
Natural Hazards, Earthquake Hazards, Landslide Hazards, Geologic Hazards Science Center
Landslide next to train, railroad tracks, and snow covered ground link
Landslide next to train, railroad tracks, and snow covered ground
link
Webicorder for station RCS on Mount Rainier from November 1, 2014, ...
link
Filter Total Items: 40

Insights on multistage rock avalanche behavior from runout modeling constrained by seismic inversions

Inversion of low-frequency regional seismic records to solve for a time series of bulk forces exerted on the earth by a landslide (a force-time function) is increasingly being used to infer volumes and dynamics of large, highly energetic landslides, such as rock avalanches and flowslides, and to provide calibration information on event dynamics and volumes for numerical landslide runout models. Mu
By
Natural Hazards, Volcano Hazards, Geologic Hazards Science Center, Volcano Science Center

Seismometer records of ground tilt induced by debris flows

A change in surface loading causes the Earth’s surface to deform. Mass movements, such as debris flows, can cause a tilt large enough to be recorded by nearby instruments, but the signal is strongly dependent on the mass loading and subsurface parameters. Specifically designed sensors for such measurements (tiltmeters) are cumbersome to install. Alternatively, broadband seismometers record transla
By
Natural Hazards, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Ground failure triggered by the 7 January 2020 M6.4 Puerto Rico earthquake

The 7 January 2020 M 6.4 Puerto Rico earthquake, the mainshock of an extended earthquake sequence, triggered significant ground failure. In this study, we detail the ground failure that occurred based largely on a postearthquake field reconnaissance campaign that we conducted. We documented more than 300 landslides, mainly rock falls that were concentrated in areas where peak ground acceleration (
By
Natural Hazards, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Landslides triggered by the August 14, 2021, magnitude 7.2 Nippes, Haiti, earthquake

The August 14, 2021, magnitude 7.2 Nippes, Haiti, earthquake triggered thousands of landslides on the Tiburon Peninsula. The landslides directly caused fatalities and damage and impeded response efforts by blocking roads and causing other infrastructure damage. Adverse effects of the landslides likely will continue for months to years. This report presents an assessment of potential postearthquake
By
Natural Hazards, Earthquake Hazards, Landslide Hazards, Geologic Hazards Science Center, International Programs

The US Geological Survey ground failure product: Near-real-time estimates of earthquake-triggered landslides and liquefaction

Since late 2018, the US Geological Survey (USGS) ground failure (GF) earthquake product has provided publicly available spatial estimates of earthquake-triggered landslide and liquefaction hazards, along with the qualitative hazard and population exposure-based alerts for M > 6 earthquakes worldwide and in near real time (within ∼30 min). Earthquake losses are oftentimes greatly aggravated by the
By
Natural Hazards, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Evaluation of remote mapping techniques for earthquake-triggered landslide inventories in an urban subarctic environment: A case study of the 2018 Anchorage, Alaska Earthquake

Earthquake-induced landslide inventories can be generated using field observations but doing so can be challenging if the affected landscape is large or inaccessible after an earthquake. Remote sensing data can be used to help overcome these limitations. The effectiveness of remotely sensed data to produce landslide inventories, however, is dependent on a variety of factors, such as the extent of
By
Natural Hazards, Earthquake Hazards, Landslide Hazards, Geologic Hazards Science Center, Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Recovery Activities

A near-real-time model for estimating probability of road obstruction due to earthquake-triggered landslides

Coseismic landslides are a major source of transportation disruption in mountainous areas, but few approaches exist for rapidly estimating impacts to road networks. We develop a model that links the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) near-real-time earthquake-triggered landslide hazard model with Open Street Map (OSM) road network data to rapidly estimate segment-level obstruction risk following major
By
Natural Hazards, Earthquake Hazards, Landslide Hazards, Geologic Hazards Science Center

lsforce: A Python-based single-force seismic inversion framework for massive landslides

We present an open‐source Python package, lsforce, for performing single‐force source inversions of long‐period (tens to hundreds of seconds) seismic signals. Although the software is designed primarily for landslides, it can be used for any single‐force seismic source. The package allows users to produce estimates of the three‐component time series of forces exerted on the Earth by a landslide wi
By
Natural Hazards, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Reconstructing the dynamics of the highly similar May 2016 and June 2019 Iliamna Volcano, Alaska ice–rock avalanches from seismoacoustic data

Surficial mass wasting events are a hazard worldwide. Seismic and acoustic signals from these often remote processes, combined with other geophysical observations, can provide key information for monitoring and rapid response efforts and enhance our understanding of event dynamics. Here, we present seismoacoustic data and analyses for two very large ice–rock avalanches occurring on Iliamna Volcano
By
Natural Hazards, Volcano Hazards, Volcano Science Center, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Using high sample rate lidar to measure debris-flow velocity and surface geometry

Debris flows evolve in both time and space in complex ways, commonly starting as coherent failures but then quickly developing structures such as roll waves and surges. These processes are readily observed but difficult to study or quantify because of the speed at which they evolve. Many methods for studying debris flows consist of point measurements (e.g., flow height or basal stresses), which ar
By
Natural Hazards, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Measuring basal force fluctuations of debris flows using seismic recordings and empirical green's functions

We present a novel method for measuring the fluctuating basal normal and shear stresses of debris flows by using along‐channel seismic recordings. Our method couples a simple parameterization of a debris flow as a seismic source with direct measurements of seismic path effects using empirical Green's functions generated with a force hammer. We test this method using two large‐scale (8 and 10 m3) e
By
Natural Hazards, Landslide Hazards, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Reconstructing the velocity and deformation of a rapid landslide using multiview video

Noncontact measurements of spatially varied ground surface deformation during landslide motion can provide important constraints on landslide mechanics. Here, we present and test a new method for extracting measurements of rapid landslide surface displacement and velocity (accelerations of approximately 1 m/s2) using sequences of stereo images obtained from a pair of inexpensive, stationary 4K vid
By
Natural Hazards, Landslide Hazards, Geologic Hazards Science Center

Non-USGS Publications**

Coe, J.A., Baum, R. L., Allstadt, K.E., Kochevar, B.F., Schmitt, R.G., Morgan, M.L., White, J.L., Stratton, B.T., Hayashi, T.A., Kean, J.W., 2016, Rock-avalanche dynamics revealed by large-scale field mapping and seismic signals at a highly mobile avalanche in the West Salt Creek valley, western Colorado, Geosphere, 12, 25p., doi:10.1130/GES01265.1
Allstadt, K. E., Shean, D. E., Campbell, A., Fahnestock, M., and Malone, S. D., 2015, Observations of seasonal and diurnal glacier velocities at Mount Rainier, Washington, using terrestrial radar interferometry, The Cryosphere, 9, 2219-2235, doi:10.5194/tc-9-2219-2015.
Moretti, L, Allstadt, K., Mangeney, A., Capdeville, Y., Stutzmann, E. and Bouchut, F., 2015, Numerical modeling of the Mount Meager landslide constrained by its force history derived from seismic data, J. Geophs. Res., 120, 2578-2599, doi: 10.1002/2014JB011426
Allstadt, K., and Malone, S.M., 2014, Swarms of repeating stick-slip icequakes triggered by snow loading at Mount Rainier volcano, J. Geophys. Res. Earth Surf. 119, doi: 10.1002/2014JF003086
Allstadt, K., 2013, Surficial Seismology: Landslides, Glaciers and Volcanoes in the Pacific Northwest through a Seismic Lens, Ph.D. Thesis, University of Washington.
Allstadt, K., Vidale, J.E., and Frankel, A., 2013, A scenario study of seismically induced landsliding in Seattle using broadband synthetic seismograms, Bull. Seism. Soc. Am., 103(6), 2971-2992.
Allstadt, K., 2013, Extracting Source Characteristics and Dynamics of the August 2010 Mount Meager Landslide from Broadband Seismograms, J. Geophys. Res. Earth Surface, 118(3), 1472-1490.
Guthrie, R.H., Friele, P., Allstadt, K., Roberts, N., Evans, S.G., Delaney, K.B., Roche, D., Clague, J.J., and Jakob, M., 2012, The 6 August 2010 Mount Meager rock slide-debris flow, Coast Mountains, British Columbia: characteristics, dynamics, and implications for hazard and risk assessment: Nat.Haz. Earth. Syst. Sci., 12, 1277-1294.
Allstadt, K., 2009, Study of Site Effects in Landslides using Weak Ground Motion, Avignonet and Séchilienne Landslides, French Alps, M.S. Thesis, Université Joseph Fourier and ROSE School. 87p.

**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.

gfail_lifelines

gfail_lifelines is a package for estimating lifeline impacts caused by earthquake-triggered ground failure. It currently contains one module, gfroads, that combines the USGS earthquake-triggered landslide model (the Nowicki Jessee et al. 2017 model) estimates of areal coverage with Open Street Map roads to estimate the probability of a given road segment being affected.
By
Natural Hazards, Earthquake Hazards, Landslide Hazards, Geologic Hazards Science Center

lsforce

lsforce is a Python-based single-force seismic inversion framework for massive landslides.

By
Natural Hazards, Earthquake Hazards, Landslide Hazards

groundfailure

This software is for calculating earthquake-induced ground failure hazard (i.e., landslide and liquefaction). These models are intended for regional or global scale applications, and are intended to be distributed in near-real-time, triggered by the Shakemaps.
By
Natural Hazards, Earthquake Hazards, Landslide Hazards, Geologic Hazards Science Center

landslides-mLS

mLS is a function that estimates the landslide magnitude (mLS) from cutoff (smallest area that follows power law), beta (power-law exponent), and an array of areas derived from a landslide inventory following the methods of Tanyas and others (in prep). The function plots the best power-law fit for the medium and large landslides and the frequency-area distribution of the analyzed inventory. It als
By
Natural Hazards, Earthquake Hazards, Landslide Hazards, Geologic Hazards Science Center

landslides-metadata

Automate production of metadata following the USGS geospatial metadata format.
By
Natural Hazards, Earthquake Hazards, Landslide Hazards, Geologic Hazards Science Center
link

GeoGirls Dig Geology at Mount St. Helens

MEDIA ADVISORY

Twenty middle-school girls from Washington and Oregon are participating in the second annual “GeoGirls” outdoor volcano science program...

Read Article
link

Media Advisory: GeoGirls Dig Geology at Mount St. Helens

Twenty middle school girls from Washington and Oregon are participating in “GeoGirls,” an outdoor program jointly organized by the U.S. Geological...
Read Article

Science and Products