Research
The USGS Landslide Hazards Program conducts research in order to make accurate landslide hazard maps and forecasts of landslide occurrences by answering these major questions:
- Where and when will landslides occur?
- How big will the landslides be?
- How fast and how far will they move?
- What areas will the landslides affect or damage?
- How frequently do landslides occur in a given locality?
Hazard AssessmentsChief: Rex Baum
Staff: Jeff Coe, Edwin Harp, Jonathan Godt, Bill Schulz, Jonathan McKenna, Mark Reid, Dianne Brien, Rex Baum
Geographic Area(s): Western Oregon, Seattle, Washington
PublicationsRelated SitesLandslide Hazard Assessments Research: Research on hazardous landslide processes, including their mechanisms, recurrence, distribution, and probability is the main activity of this project. The objective of our research is to improve understanding of the processes and develop physically based procedures for deterministic and probabilistic landslide hazard assessment. The principal study area is currently western Oregon; studies are also being conducted in selected areas of Washington State, Colorado, and California. Research in Oregon is being conducted in cooperation with the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) with focus on major hazardous landslide processes affecting western Oregon, particularly debris flow and reactivation of large, deep landslides.
Staff: Jeff Coe, Edwin Harp, Jonathan Godt, Bill Schulz, Jonathan McKenna, Mark Reid, Dianne Brien, Rex Baum
Geographic Area(s): Western Oregon, Seattle, Washington
PublicationsRelated SitesLandslide Hazard Assessments Research: Research on hazardous landslide processes, including their mechanisms, recurrence, distribution, and probability is the main activity of this project. The objective of our research is to improve understanding of the processes and develop physically based procedures for deterministic and probabilistic landslide hazard assessment. The principal study area is currently western Oregon; studies are also being conducted in selected areas of Washington State, Colorado, and California. Research in Oregon is being conducted in cooperation with the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) with focus on major hazardous landslide processes affecting western Oregon, particularly debris flow and reactivation of large, deep landslides.
National Landslide Information CenterChief: Rex Baum
Staff: Lynn Highland
Geographic Area(s): Nationwide
PublicationsNational Landslide Information Center: Economic losses from landslides occur in every state and territory of the U.S. Improved public awareness of landslides and the hazards they pose to property and public safety is necessary to achieve significant reduction in landslide related losses. The National Landslide Information Center (NLIC) in Golden, Colorado conducts outreach for the Landslide Hazard Program. These activities are undertaken to promote awareness of the national landslide problem, assist professionals and the general public in locating appropriate landslide information (maps and other literature), to promote awareness of USGS products and services related to landslides.
Staff: Lynn Highland
Geographic Area(s): Nationwide
PublicationsNational Landslide Information Center: Economic losses from landslides occur in every state and territory of the U.S. Improved public awareness of landslides and the hazards they pose to property and public safety is necessary to achieve significant reduction in landslide related losses. The National Landslide Information Center (NLIC) in Golden, Colorado conducts outreach for the Landslide Hazard Program. These activities are undertaken to promote awareness of the national landslide problem, assist professionals and the general public in locating appropriate landslide information (maps and other literature), to promote awareness of USGS products and services related to landslides.
Real-Time Landslide MonitoringChief: Rex Baum
Staff: Bill Schulz, Mark Reid, Rex Baum, Jonathan Godt, Jeff Coe, Dianne Brien
Geographic Area(s): Western Oregon, Northern California, Colorado
PublicationsReal-Time Monitoring and Landslide Process Research: Catastrophic landsliding is an inherently transient process; accurate understanding requires real-time or near real-time monitoring of both triggering phenomena and landslide activity. USGS landslide monitoring and related field studies of landslide processes provide information needed to constrain alert and warning thresholds, and document processes that precede (and therefore can be used to help predict) landslide catastrophes. This research relies on many kinds of field instrumentation to monitor landslide activity and processes as well as complex mathematical models to interpret the results. USGS landslide monitoring research contributes to the eventual goal of accurately forecasting landslide catastrophes.
Staff: Bill Schulz, Mark Reid, Rex Baum, Jonathan Godt, Jeff Coe, Dianne Brien
Geographic Area(s): Western Oregon, Northern California, Colorado
PublicationsReal-Time Monitoring and Landslide Process Research: Catastrophic landsliding is an inherently transient process; accurate understanding requires real-time or near real-time monitoring of both triggering phenomena and landslide activity. USGS landslide monitoring and related field studies of landslide processes provide information needed to constrain alert and warning thresholds, and document processes that precede (and therefore can be used to help predict) landslide catastrophes. This research relies on many kinds of field instrumentation to monitor landslide activity and processes as well as complex mathematical models to interpret the results. USGS landslide monitoring research contributes to the eventual goal of accurately forecasting landslide catastrophes.
Rapid Landslide Hazard Assessment Southern California Landslide Hazard AssessmentChief: Rex Baum
Staff: Jonathan Godt, Jonathan Stock
Geographic Area(s): Southern California
PublicationsSouthern California Landslide Hazard Research: Southern California is one of the most hazardous landslide regions in the United States; previous studies have documented shallow rapid soil slips and ensuing debris flows as well as deep-seated, slow-moving landslides throughout the region. USGS research is leading to new methods to portray the hazards from different types of landslides along the southern California coast. We are applying new technologies, methods, and models to the difficult problem of predicting different styles of landslide movement from similar geologic materials. These approaches include LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) imagery and analysis of digital landscape signatures for characterizing different mass wasting settings, critical state soil mechanics tests for determining the likelihood of a landslide transforming into a debris flow, and recently developed numerical models for predicting debris-flow inundation.
Staff: Jonathan Godt, Jonathan Stock
Geographic Area(s): Southern California
PublicationsSouthern California Landslide Hazard Research: Southern California is one of the most hazardous landslide regions in the United States; previous studies have documented shallow rapid soil slips and ensuing debris flows as well as deep-seated, slow-moving landslides throughout the region. USGS research is leading to new methods to portray the hazards from different types of landslides along the southern California coast. We are applying new technologies, methods, and models to the difficult problem of predicting different styles of landslide movement from similar geologic materials. These approaches include LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging) imagery and analysis of digital landscape signatures for characterizing different mass wasting settings, critical state soil mechanics tests for determining the likelihood of a landslide transforming into a debris flow, and recently developed numerical models for predicting debris-flow inundation.
Post-Fire Debris Flow SusceptibilityChief: Sue Cannon
Staff: Sue Cannon, Joe Gartner
Geographic Area(s): Southern California, Colorado
PublicationsRelated SitesPost-Fire Debris Flow Susceptibility: In recent years, wildfires have ravaged many areas throughout the western U.S. Rainstorms that come in the wake of these fires often cause flooding and debris flows. The destructive debris flows have recently taken dozens of lives and caused many millions of dollars in damage. USGS research on debris flows in burned areas focuses on determining the conditions and processes that cause debris flows and rapidly assessing the potential for debris flow in specific burned areas.
Staff: Sue Cannon, Joe Gartner
Geographic Area(s): Southern California, Colorado
PublicationsRelated SitesPost-Fire Debris Flow Susceptibility: In recent years, wildfires have ravaged many areas throughout the western U.S. Rainstorms that come in the wake of these fires often cause flooding and debris flows. The destructive debris flows have recently taken dozens of lives and caused many millions of dollars in damage. USGS research on debris flows in burned areas focuses on determining the conditions and processes that cause debris flows and rapidly assessing the potential for debris flow in specific burned areas.
Post-Fire Debris Flow Generation ProcessesChief: Sue Cannon
Staff: Jason Kean, Kevin Schmidt, Jonathan Stock
Geographic Area(s): Southern California
PublicationsRelated Sites
Staff: Jason Kean, Kevin Schmidt, Jonathan Stock
Geographic Area(s): Southern California
PublicationsRelated Sites
Joint NWS USGS Prototype Debris Flow Warning SystemChief: Sue Cannon
Staff: Sue Cannon, Dennis Staley, Jonathan Stock
Geographic Area(s): Southern California
Publications
Staff: Sue Cannon, Dennis Staley, Jonathan Stock
Geographic Area(s): Southern California
Publications
Catastrophic LandslidingChief: Mark Reid
Staff: Mark Reid, Dianne Brien
Geographic Area(s): Northern California
No Publications
Staff: Mark Reid, Dianne Brien
Geographic Area(s): Northern California
No Publications
Debris Flow Initiation by Hurricanes and Severe StormsChief: Gerry Wieczorek
Staff: Gerry Wieczorek
Geographic Area(s): North Carolina, Colorado
PublicationsRelated Sites
Staff: Gerry Wieczorek
Geographic Area(s): North Carolina, Colorado
PublicationsRelated Sites
