Skye C Corbett
Skye is a Geologist with the Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center
Science and Products
San Francisco Bay Area Reconnaissance Landslide Inventory, January 2023
From late December 2022 to January 2023, a series of atmospheric river storms produced widespread landsliding in the San Francisco Bay area of California. USGS scientists performed reconnaissance field work to document the extent of landsliding in the region and compiled reports of landslides from media and California Highway Patrol (CHP) reports. This data release documents locations of road cut
Mapped polygons of landslides triggered by the 2016-2017 storm season, eastern San Francisco Bay region, California
The winter rainy season of 2016-2017 brought abundant rainfall to the state of California, including the San Francisco Bay region. Thousands of shallow landslides were triggered as a result of saturated soils and intense rainfall from strong winter storms in January and February 2017. The highest concentration of landslides from these storms occurred in the eastern part of the bay region, where la
Field-saturated hydraulic conductivity time series and sediment accumulations following the 2017 Nuns and Tubbs wildfires, Napa and Sonoma Counties, CA, USA
This dataset comprises repeat surveys of field-saturated hydraulic conductivity and sorptivity following the October 2017 Nuns and Tubbs wildfires as part of an effort to document soil-hydraulic recovery. A summary table includes associated physiographic properties for each site, including: pre-burn vegetation, lithology, soil burn severity, location, soil texture, and associated van Genuchten par
Field, remote sensing, and modeling data used for Collins et al., Rockfall Kinematics from Massive Rock Cliffs: Outlier Boulders and Flyrock Resulting from the 2020 Whitney Portal, California Rockfalls
This data release includes information used to support the manuscript "Rockfall kinematics from massive rock cliffs: outlier boulders and flyrock from Whitney Portal, California rockfalls". The included datasets and supplement include data that was collected and processed to investigate the kinematics of boulder trajectories and impacts to both other boulders and to existing trees on the talus slo
Near-field remotely sensed streamflow, channel bathymetry, and floodplain topography measurements in the Arkansas River at Parkdale, CO collected March 2018
A USGS Unoccupied Aircraft Systems (UAS) Aquatic Airshow field testing and demonstration event occurred March 20-21, 2018, on the Arkansas River at Parkdale, CO, USA. At the airshow, a group of USGS scientists and technicians gathered to test non-contact sensors for measuring stream discharge using UAS and a sensor mounted on a tag line. Scientists at the event performed a series of tests to measu
Field, geotechnical, and meteorological data of the 22 March 2018 narrow cold frontal rainband (NCFR) and its effects, Tuolumne River canyon, Sierra Nevada Foothills, California
This data release includes information used to support the manuscript "Linking mesoscale meteorology with extreme landscape response: effects of narrow cold frontal rainbands (NCFR)". The included datasets and supplement include information related to the 22 March 2018 NCFR and associated shallow landslides in the Toulumne Canyon triggered by this event. The three datasets and one supplemental inf
Terrestrial LIDAR Data Set of the February 14, 2019 Sausalito Boulevard Landslide, Sausalito, California
On February 14, 2019, just before 2:56 am local time (Pacific Standard Time), a landslide initiated from the natural hillslopes above the City of Sausalito, California. The landslide, properly identified as a debris flow, overran a road (Sausalito Boulevard) located immediately below the landslide source area, and impacted and destroyed several residential structures. One person was located in one
Landslides triggered by the 2016–2017 storm season, eastern San Francisco Bay region, California
DiscussionThe winter rainy season of 2016–2017 brought abundant rainfall to the State of California and to the San Francisco Bay region. In January and February of 2017, intense rainfall from strong winter storms saturated soils in the region and triggered thousands of shallow landslides. The highest concentration of these landslides was in the eastern part of the bay region, where landslides in t
An open-source workflow for scaling burn severity metrics from drone to satellite to support post-fire watershed management
Wildfires are increasing in size and severity across much of the western United States, exposing vulnerable wildland-urban interfaces to post-fire hazards. The Mediterranean chaparral region of Northern California contains many high sloping watersheds prone to hazardous post-fire flood events and identifying watersheds at high risk of soil loss and debris flows is a priority for post-fire response
Authors
Joshua W. Von Nonn, Miguel L. Villarreal, Leonhard Blesius, Jerry D. Davis, Skye C. Corbett
Multi-stage soil-hydraulic recovery and limited ravel accumulations following the 2017 Nuns and Tubbs wildfires in Northern California
Wildfire can impact soil-hydraulic properties by reducing saturated hydraulic conductivity and sorptivity, making recently burned landscapes prone to debris flows and flash floods. The post-fire hazard window can range from years to decades. In Northern California, where wildfire frequency is steadily increasing, the impact and soil-hydraulic recovery from wildfires is unknown. Following the Octob
Authors
Jonathan P. Perkins, Carlos Diaz, Skye C. Corbett, Corina Cerovski-Darriau, Jonathan D. Stock, Jeffrey Paul Prancevic, Lisa Micheli, Jay Jasperse
Rockfall kinematics from massive rock cliffs: Outlier boulders and flyrock from Whitney Portal, California, rockfalls
Geologic conditions and topographic setting are among the most critical factors for assessing rockfall hazards. However, other subtle features of rockfall motion may also govern the runout of rockfall debris, particularly for those sourced from massive cliffs where debris can have substantial momentum during transport. Rocks may undergo collisions with trees and talus boulders, with the latter pot
Authors
Brian D. Collins, Skye C. Corbett, Elizabeth Jean Horton, Alan J. Gallegos
Linking mesoscale meteorology with extreme landscape response: Effects of narrow cold frontal rainbands (NCFR)
Landscapes evolve in response to prolonged and/or intense precipitation resulting from atmospheric processes at various spatial and temporal scales. Whereas synoptic (large‐scale) features (e.g., atmospheric rivers and hurricanes) govern regional‐scale hydrologic hazards such as widespread flooding, mesoscale features such as thunderstorms or squall lines are more likely to trigger localized geomo
Authors
Brian D. Collins, N. S. Oakley, Jonathan P. Perkins, Amy E. East, Skye C. Corbett, Benjamin J. Hatchett
Terrestrial lidar data of the February 14, 2019 Sausalito Boulevard Landslide, Sausalito, California
On February 14, 2019, just before 2:56 am local time (Pacific Standard Time), a landslide initiated from the hillslopes above the Hurricane Gulch section of the City of Sausalito, Marin County, California. The landslide, specifically classified as a debris flow, overran a road (Sausalito Boulevard) immediately below the landslide source area and impacted a residential structure that subsequently t
Authors
Brian D. Collins, Skye C. Corbett
Thermal influences on spontaneous rock dome exfoliation
Rock domes, with their onion-skin layers of exfoliation sheets, are among the most captivating landforms on Earth. Long recognized as integral in shaping domes, the exact mechanism(s) by which exfoliation occurs remains enigmatic, mainly due to the lack of direct observations of natural events. In August 2014, during the hottest days of summer, a granitic dome in California, USA, spontaneously exf
Authors
Brian D. Collins, Greg M. Stock, Martha C. Eppes, Scott W. Lewis, Skye C. Corbett, Joel B. Smith
Seismic velocity site characterization of 10 Arizona strong-motion recording stations by spectral analysis of surface wave dispersion
Vertical one-dimensional shear wave velocity (VS) profiles are presented for strong-motion sites in Arizona for a suite of stations surrounding the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station. The purpose of the study is to determine the detailed site velocity profile, the average velocity in the upper 30 meters of the profile (VS30), the average velocity for the entire profile (VSZ), and the National E
Authors
Robert E. Kayen, Brad A. Carkin, Skye C. Corbett
Relations between rainfall–runoff-induced erosion and aeolian deposition at archaeological sites in a semi-arid dam-controlled river corridor
Process dynamics in fluvial-based dryland environments are highly complex with fluvial, aeolian, and alluvial processes all contributing to landscape change. When anthropogenic activities such as dam-building affect fluvial processes, the complexity in local response can be further increased by flood- and sediment-limiting flows. Understanding these complexities is key to predicting landscape beha
Authors
Brian D. Collins, David Bedford, Skye C. Corbett, Helen C. Fairley, Collin Cronkite-Ratcliff
By
Ecosystems Mission Area, Energy and Minerals Mission Area, Energy Resources Program, Mineral Resources Program, National Laboratories Program, Science and Decisions Center, Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Southwest Biological Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center
Shear Wave Velocity and Site Amplification Factors for 25 Strong-Motion Instrument Stations Affected by the M5.8 Mineral, Virginia, Earthquake of August 23, 2011
Vertical one-dimensional shear wave velocity (Vs) profiles are presented for 25 strong-motion instrument sites along the Mid-Atlantic eastern seaboard, Piedmont region, and Appalachian region, which surround the epicenter of the M5.8 Mineral, Virginia, Earthquake of August 23, 2011. Testing was performed at sites in Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, the District of Columbia, North C
Authors
Robert E. Kayen, Brad A. Carkin, Skye C. Corbett, Aliza Zangwill, Ivan Estevez, Lena Lai
Science and Products
- Data
San Francisco Bay Area Reconnaissance Landslide Inventory, January 2023
From late December 2022 to January 2023, a series of atmospheric river storms produced widespread landsliding in the San Francisco Bay area of California. USGS scientists performed reconnaissance field work to document the extent of landsliding in the region and compiled reports of landslides from media and California Highway Patrol (CHP) reports. This data release documents locations of road cutMapped polygons of landslides triggered by the 2016-2017 storm season, eastern San Francisco Bay region, California
The winter rainy season of 2016-2017 brought abundant rainfall to the state of California, including the San Francisco Bay region. Thousands of shallow landslides were triggered as a result of saturated soils and intense rainfall from strong winter storms in January and February 2017. The highest concentration of landslides from these storms occurred in the eastern part of the bay region, where laField-saturated hydraulic conductivity time series and sediment accumulations following the 2017 Nuns and Tubbs wildfires, Napa and Sonoma Counties, CA, USA
This dataset comprises repeat surveys of field-saturated hydraulic conductivity and sorptivity following the October 2017 Nuns and Tubbs wildfires as part of an effort to document soil-hydraulic recovery. A summary table includes associated physiographic properties for each site, including: pre-burn vegetation, lithology, soil burn severity, location, soil texture, and associated van Genuchten parField, remote sensing, and modeling data used for Collins et al., Rockfall Kinematics from Massive Rock Cliffs: Outlier Boulders and Flyrock Resulting from the 2020 Whitney Portal, California Rockfalls
This data release includes information used to support the manuscript "Rockfall kinematics from massive rock cliffs: outlier boulders and flyrock from Whitney Portal, California rockfalls". The included datasets and supplement include data that was collected and processed to investigate the kinematics of boulder trajectories and impacts to both other boulders and to existing trees on the talus sloNear-field remotely sensed streamflow, channel bathymetry, and floodplain topography measurements in the Arkansas River at Parkdale, CO collected March 2018
A USGS Unoccupied Aircraft Systems (UAS) Aquatic Airshow field testing and demonstration event occurred March 20-21, 2018, on the Arkansas River at Parkdale, CO, USA. At the airshow, a group of USGS scientists and technicians gathered to test non-contact sensors for measuring stream discharge using UAS and a sensor mounted on a tag line. Scientists at the event performed a series of tests to measuField, geotechnical, and meteorological data of the 22 March 2018 narrow cold frontal rainband (NCFR) and its effects, Tuolumne River canyon, Sierra Nevada Foothills, California
This data release includes information used to support the manuscript "Linking mesoscale meteorology with extreme landscape response: effects of narrow cold frontal rainbands (NCFR)". The included datasets and supplement include information related to the 22 March 2018 NCFR and associated shallow landslides in the Toulumne Canyon triggered by this event. The three datasets and one supplemental infTerrestrial LIDAR Data Set of the February 14, 2019 Sausalito Boulevard Landslide, Sausalito, California
On February 14, 2019, just before 2:56 am local time (Pacific Standard Time), a landslide initiated from the natural hillslopes above the City of Sausalito, California. The landslide, properly identified as a debris flow, overran a road (Sausalito Boulevard) located immediately below the landslide source area, and impacted and destroyed several residential structures. One person was located in one - Maps
Landslides triggered by the 2016–2017 storm season, eastern San Francisco Bay region, California
DiscussionThe winter rainy season of 2016–2017 brought abundant rainfall to the State of California and to the San Francisco Bay region. In January and February of 2017, intense rainfall from strong winter storms saturated soils in the region and triggered thousands of shallow landslides. The highest concentration of these landslides was in the eastern part of the bay region, where landslides in t - Publications
An open-source workflow for scaling burn severity metrics from drone to satellite to support post-fire watershed management
Wildfires are increasing in size and severity across much of the western United States, exposing vulnerable wildland-urban interfaces to post-fire hazards. The Mediterranean chaparral region of Northern California contains many high sloping watersheds prone to hazardous post-fire flood events and identifying watersheds at high risk of soil loss and debris flows is a priority for post-fire responseAuthorsJoshua W. Von Nonn, Miguel L. Villarreal, Leonhard Blesius, Jerry D. Davis, Skye C. CorbettMulti-stage soil-hydraulic recovery and limited ravel accumulations following the 2017 Nuns and Tubbs wildfires in Northern California
Wildfire can impact soil-hydraulic properties by reducing saturated hydraulic conductivity and sorptivity, making recently burned landscapes prone to debris flows and flash floods. The post-fire hazard window can range from years to decades. In Northern California, where wildfire frequency is steadily increasing, the impact and soil-hydraulic recovery from wildfires is unknown. Following the OctobAuthorsJonathan P. Perkins, Carlos Diaz, Skye C. Corbett, Corina Cerovski-Darriau, Jonathan D. Stock, Jeffrey Paul Prancevic, Lisa Micheli, Jay JasperseRockfall kinematics from massive rock cliffs: Outlier boulders and flyrock from Whitney Portal, California, rockfalls
Geologic conditions and topographic setting are among the most critical factors for assessing rockfall hazards. However, other subtle features of rockfall motion may also govern the runout of rockfall debris, particularly for those sourced from massive cliffs where debris can have substantial momentum during transport. Rocks may undergo collisions with trees and talus boulders, with the latter potAuthorsBrian D. Collins, Skye C. Corbett, Elizabeth Jean Horton, Alan J. GallegosLinking mesoscale meteorology with extreme landscape response: Effects of narrow cold frontal rainbands (NCFR)
Landscapes evolve in response to prolonged and/or intense precipitation resulting from atmospheric processes at various spatial and temporal scales. Whereas synoptic (large‐scale) features (e.g., atmospheric rivers and hurricanes) govern regional‐scale hydrologic hazards such as widespread flooding, mesoscale features such as thunderstorms or squall lines are more likely to trigger localized geomoAuthorsBrian D. Collins, N. S. Oakley, Jonathan P. Perkins, Amy E. East, Skye C. Corbett, Benjamin J. HatchettTerrestrial lidar data of the February 14, 2019 Sausalito Boulevard Landslide, Sausalito, California
On February 14, 2019, just before 2:56 am local time (Pacific Standard Time), a landslide initiated from the hillslopes above the Hurricane Gulch section of the City of Sausalito, Marin County, California. The landslide, specifically classified as a debris flow, overran a road (Sausalito Boulevard) immediately below the landslide source area and impacted a residential structure that subsequently tAuthorsBrian D. Collins, Skye C. CorbettThermal influences on spontaneous rock dome exfoliation
Rock domes, with their onion-skin layers of exfoliation sheets, are among the most captivating landforms on Earth. Long recognized as integral in shaping domes, the exact mechanism(s) by which exfoliation occurs remains enigmatic, mainly due to the lack of direct observations of natural events. In August 2014, during the hottest days of summer, a granitic dome in California, USA, spontaneously exfAuthorsBrian D. Collins, Greg M. Stock, Martha C. Eppes, Scott W. Lewis, Skye C. Corbett, Joel B. SmithSeismic velocity site characterization of 10 Arizona strong-motion recording stations by spectral analysis of surface wave dispersion
Vertical one-dimensional shear wave velocity (VS) profiles are presented for strong-motion sites in Arizona for a suite of stations surrounding the Palo Verde Nuclear Generating Station. The purpose of the study is to determine the detailed site velocity profile, the average velocity in the upper 30 meters of the profile (VS30), the average velocity for the entire profile (VSZ), and the National EAuthorsRobert E. Kayen, Brad A. Carkin, Skye C. CorbettRelations between rainfall–runoff-induced erosion and aeolian deposition at archaeological sites in a semi-arid dam-controlled river corridor
Process dynamics in fluvial-based dryland environments are highly complex with fluvial, aeolian, and alluvial processes all contributing to landscape change. When anthropogenic activities such as dam-building affect fluvial processes, the complexity in local response can be further increased by flood- and sediment-limiting flows. Understanding these complexities is key to predicting landscape behaAuthorsBrian D. Collins, David Bedford, Skye C. Corbett, Helen C. Fairley, Collin Cronkite-RatcliffByEcosystems Mission Area, Energy and Minerals Mission Area, Energy Resources Program, Mineral Resources Program, National Laboratories Program, Science and Decisions Center, Groundwater and Streamflow Information Program, Southwest Biological Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science CenterShear Wave Velocity and Site Amplification Factors for 25 Strong-Motion Instrument Stations Affected by the M5.8 Mineral, Virginia, Earthquake of August 23, 2011
Vertical one-dimensional shear wave velocity (Vs) profiles are presented for 25 strong-motion instrument sites along the Mid-Atlantic eastern seaboard, Piedmont region, and Appalachian region, which surround the epicenter of the M5.8 Mineral, Virginia, Earthquake of August 23, 2011. Testing was performed at sites in Pennsylvania, Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, the District of Columbia, North CAuthorsRobert E. Kayen, Brad A. Carkin, Skye C. Corbett, Aliza Zangwill, Ivan Estevez, Lena Lai