Richard M. Iverson
My USGS career has focused mostly on evaluating and modeling the dynamics and hazards of landslides and debris flows, with a secondary focus on the dynamics of volcanic extrusions. Part of my work involved design, development, and utilization of the USGS debris-flow flume, a unique, large-scale experimental facility at the H.J. Andrews Experimental Forest near Blue River, Oregon.
Career Highlights
A written account of some career highlights was published in 2020 in Perspectives of Earth and Space Scientists. An oral history interview recounting some of my career highlights is archived at Oregon State University.
Professional Experience
Senior Research Hydrologist, USGS Cascades Volcano Observatory
Adjunct Professor, University of Washington and Portland State University
Education and Certifications
Stanford University, Ph.D., 1984, Applied Earth Sciences
Stanford University, M.S., 1981, Hydrology
Stanford University, M.S., 1980, Applied Earth Sciences
Iowa State University, B.S., 1977, Geology major, Mathematics and Physics minors
Honors and Awards
Fellow, American Geophysical Union (AGU) and Geological Society of America (GSA)
E.B. Burwell Award, GSA, 1991
Kirk Bryan Award, GSA, 2001
Richard H. Jahns Distinguished Lecturer, GSA, 2005
Langbein Lecturer, AGU, 2006
U.S. Department of the Interior Distinguished Service Award, 2019
Science and Products
My research career, including information about the debris flow experimental flume facility, is docuymented in this memoir.
Landslide disparities, flume discoveries, and Oso despair
The physics of debris flows
Geotechnical properties of debris-flow sediments and slurries
Debris-flow initiation experiments using diverse hydrologic triggers
Automated, reproducible delineation of zones at risk from inundation by large volcanic debris flows
Evaluation of viscoplastic slope movement based on triaxial tests
Can magma-injection and groundwater forces cause massive landslides on Hawaiian volcanoes?
Volcano hazards in the Mount Adams region, Washington
Differential equations governing slip-induced pore-pressure fluctuations in a water-saturated granular medium
Friction in debris flows: inferences from large-scale flume experiments
Gravity-driven groundwater flow and slope failure potential: 2. Effects of slope morphology, material properties, and hydraulic heterogeneity
Gravity-driven groundwater flow and slope failure potential: 1. Elastic effective-stress model
Spatial and temporal distribution of shallow landsliding during intense rainfall, southeastern Oahu, Hawaii
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
My research career, including information about the debris flow experimental flume facility, is docuymented in this memoir.
Landslide disparities, flume discoveries, and Oso despair
The physics of debris flows
Geotechnical properties of debris-flow sediments and slurries
Debris-flow initiation experiments using diverse hydrologic triggers
Automated, reproducible delineation of zones at risk from inundation by large volcanic debris flows
Evaluation of viscoplastic slope movement based on triaxial tests
Can magma-injection and groundwater forces cause massive landslides on Hawaiian volcanoes?
Volcano hazards in the Mount Adams region, Washington
Differential equations governing slip-induced pore-pressure fluctuations in a water-saturated granular medium
Friction in debris flows: inferences from large-scale flume experiments
Gravity-driven groundwater flow and slope failure potential: 2. Effects of slope morphology, material properties, and hydraulic heterogeneity
Gravity-driven groundwater flow and slope failure potential: 1. Elastic effective-stress model
Spatial and temporal distribution of shallow landsliding during intense rainfall, southeastern Oahu, Hawaii
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.