Nikita Avdievitch joined the USGS Landslide Hazards Program as a geologist in March 2020.
Nikita uses a variety of geospatial tools to better understand landslide and rockfall hazard, particularly in post-glacial and coastal environments.
Professional Experience
Geologist, USGS Geologic Hazards Science Center, Golden, CO (2020 - Present)
Cartographic Technician, Denali National Park and Preserve, AK (2019)
Physical Science Technician, Yosemite National Park, CA (2018- 2019)
Geologist, USGS Earthquake Science Center, Menlo Park, CA (2014)
Education and Certifications
M.S., Geosciences, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany (2017)
B.A., Geology, Macalester College, St. Paul, MN (2013)
Science and Products
Slow-moving landslides and subsiding fan deltas mapped from Sentinel-1 InSAR in the Glacier Bay region, Alaska and British Columbia, 2018-2020
Inventory map of submarine and subaerial-to-submarine landslides in Glacier Bay, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Alaska
Fractures, scarps, faults, and landslides mapped using LiDAR, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Alaska
Spaceborne InSAR mapping of landslides and subsidence in rapidly deglaciating terrain, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve and vicinity, Alaska and British Columbia
Submarine landslide susceptibility mapping in recently deglaciated terrain, Glacier Bay, Alaska
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
- Data
Slow-moving landslides and subsiding fan deltas mapped from Sentinel-1 InSAR in the Glacier Bay region, Alaska and British Columbia, 2018-2020
This data release contains four GIS shapefiles, one Google Earth kmz file, and five metadata files that summarize results from Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) analyses in the Glacier Bay region of Alaska and British Columbia. The principal shapefile (Moving_Ground) and the kmz file (GBRegionMovingGround) contain polygons delineating slow-moving (0.5-6 cm/year in the radar line-of-Inventory map of submarine and subaerial-to-submarine landslides in Glacier Bay, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Alaska
Mass-wasting events that displace water, whether they initiate from underwater sources (submarine landslides) or subaerial sources (subaerial-to-submarine landslides), have the potential to cause tsunami waves that can pose a significant threat to human life and infrastructure in coastal areas (for example towns, cruise ships, bridges, oil platforms, and communication lines). Sheltered inlets and - Publications
Fractures, scarps, faults, and landslides mapped using LiDAR, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, Alaska
This map of fractures, scarps, faults, and landslides was completed to identify areas in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve that may present a landslide-generated tsunami hazard. To address the potential of landslide and tsunami hazards in the park, the National Park Service (NPS) and the US Geological Survey (USGS) partnered to conduct a multi-year hazard assessment of Glacier Bay National PaAuthorsChad Hults, Jeffrey A. Coe, Nikita N. AvdievitchSpaceborne InSAR mapping of landslides and subsidence in rapidly deglaciating terrain, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve and vicinity, Alaska and British Columbia
The Glacier Bay area in southeastern Alaska and British Columbia, encompassing Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, has experienced rapid glacier retreat since the end of the Little Ice Age in the mid-1800s. The impact that rapid deglaciation has had on the slope stability of valley walls and on the sedimentation of fans and deltas adjacent to fjords and inlets is an ongoing research topic. UsiAuthorsJinwook Kim, Jeffrey A. Coe, Zhong Lu, Nikita N. Avdievitch, Chad HultsSubmarine landslide susceptibility mapping in recently deglaciated terrain, Glacier Bay, Alaska
Submarine mass wasting events have damaged underwater structures and propagated waves that have inundated towns and affected human populations in nearby coastal areas. Susceptibility to submarine landslides can be pronounced in degrading cryospheric environments, where existing glaciers can provide high volumes of sediment, while cycles of glaciation and ice-loss can damage and destabilize slopes.AuthorsNikita N. Avdievitch, Jeffrey A. CoeNon-USGS Publications**
Guerin, A., Stock, G.M., Radue, M.J., Jaboyedoff, M., Collins, B.D., Matasci, B., Avdievitch, N. and Derron, M.H., 2020. Quantifying 40 years of rockfall activity in Yosemite Valley with historical Structure-from-Motion photogrammetry and terrestrial laser scanning. Geomorphology, 356, p.107069.Avdievitch, N.N., Ehlers, T.A. and Glotzbach, C., 2018. Slow long‐term exhumation of the West Central Andean plate boundary, Chile. Tectonics, 37(7), pp.2243-2267.**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.