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Landslides, Set 2

Landslide Overview Map of the Conterminous United States

Landslide Overview Map of the Conterminous United States This map, reproduced from U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 97-289, shows areas of landslide occurrence and susceptibility. Red areas indicate high incidence of landslides. Light beige is low landslide incidence, copper-colored is moderate. The blue-green areas indicate moderate landslide susceptibility, but low incidence. Light brown is high susceptibility/low incidence. Light red indicates high susceptibility/moderate incidence. Photo credit: U.S. Geological Survey Full resolution image

Debris Flow, Slide Mountain, Nevada

Debris Flow, Slide Mountain, Nevada Boulders partially bury a house from a debris flow triggered by rapid snow melt in late May, 1983. The rapidly-moving debris flow emerged from a canyon and killed one person, injured several others, destroyed or severely damaged five homes, and buried a highway. Photo credit: U.S. Geological Survey Full resolution image

Landslide, Thistle, Utah

Landslide, Thistle, Utah This landslide began moving in the Spring of 1983. The event was in response to ground water buildup from heavy rains the previous September and the melting of deep snow pack for the Winter of 1982-1983. Within a few weeks, the landslide dammed the Spanish Fork River, obliterating U.S. Highway 6 and the main line of the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad. Flood waters rose behind the landslide dam; the town of Thistle was inundated and destroyed. Total costs (direct and indirect) exceeded $400 million. This was the most costly single landslide event in U.S. history. Photo credit: R.L. Schuster, U.S. Geological Survey Full resolution image

Landslide, The Mamayes, Puerto Rico

Landslide, The Mamayes, Puerto Rico In October 1985, a landslide destroyed 120 houses and killed at least 129 people - the greatest number of casualties from any single landslide in North America. The catastrophic block slide was triggered by a tropical storm which produced extremely heavy rainfall. Contributing factors could also have included sewage directly discharged into the ground in the densely populated area, and a leaking water pipe at the top of the landslide. Note the crescent-shaped scarp at the head of the slump. Photo credit: R.W. Jibson, U.S. Geological Survey Full resolution image

Rock and Snow Avalanche, Mount Huascaran, Peru

Rock and Snow Avalanche, Mount Huascaran, Peru In 1970, an earthquake-induced rock and snow avalanche on Mount Huascaran, Peru, buried the towns of Yungay and Ranrahirca. The death toll from the landslide was 20,000. The avalanche started as a sliding mass of glacial ice and rock. The avalanche swept about 16.5 km to the village of Yungay at a speed of 210-280 km/hr. The fast- moving mass picked up glacial deposits and by the time it reached Yungay, it consisted of 50-100 million m3 of water, mud, and rocks. Photo credit: G. Pflafker, U.S. Geological Survey Full resolution image

Example of Creep

Example of Creep "Pistol butt" trees provide evidence of active creep. The tree roots extend to material that is not moving, or is moving slowly downslope. Closer to the surface, however, the soil moves more rapidly, pushing against the trunks in a downslope direction. The trees respond by maintaining vertical growth in their upper parts, hence the curved trunks. Photo credit: Colorado Geological Survey Full resolution image

Earthflow, Cincinnati, Ohio

Earthflow, Cincinnati, Ohio The image shows earthflow material being removed by a highway crew along the Columbia Parkway. Hamilton County, in the metropolitan Cincinnati area, experienced an average annual economic loss from landslides of $5.80 per person (1975 dollars) between 1973 and 1978, the highest calculated per capita loss of any municipality in the United States. Photo credit: U.S. Geological Survey Full resolution image

Rockfall, Yosemite National Park, California

Rockfall, Yosemite National Park, California On July 11, 1996, at 7:00 P.M. Pacific Daylight Time, a huge rock weighing 200 tons broke away from Granite Point, near Happy Isles, a popular trailhead and concession stand. The rock disintegrated when it landed, creating an air blast that was so powerful that it flattened as many as 2,000 trees in the area. The rockfall deposition killed one person at a concession stand, and seriously injured 14 others. The dust kicked up from the pulverized granite blocked out sunlight and coated tents and recreational vehicles, similar to ashfall from a volcano. Massive rockfalls continue to occur. In 1999, a rockfall in the same area killed one climber and injured several others. Photo credit: Edwin Harp, U.S. Geological Survey Full resolution image

Sinkhole, Winter Park, Florida

Sinkhole, Winter Park, Florida Sinkholes, although not classified as landslides, are another form of ground subsidence that can happen catastrophically. This sinkhole occurred in 1981, in the time span of one day. (The City of Winter Park later stabilized and sealed the sinkhole, converting it into an urban lake.) This form of subsidence occurs when carbonate layers that lie below the surface dissolve. When the weight of the overlying ground becomes too great, or the dissolved area too large, the surface collapses. These features occur in karst topography. Karst topography is common in Florida, Kentucky, Missouri, Pennsylvania, and Tennessee, and also occurs in many other places around the world. [Photo credit: A.S. Navory.] Full resolution image

Landslide, McClure Pass, Colorado

Landslide, McClure Pass, Colorado Landslides often damage roads in this area of the Rocky Mountains. The car plunged into a landslide in the middle of the night, just after the landslide had occurred (1994). Fortunately, no one was injured. [Photo credit: Terry Taylor, Colorado State Patrol.] Full resolution image

Mudflow, Toutle River, Washington

Mudflow, Toutle River, Washington This house was damaged by a mudflow along the Toutle River about 40 km west-northwest of Mount Saint Helens. The May 18, 1980, eruption of the volcano triggered lahars-volcanic debris flows-which, combined with mud, caused great damage in the region. Nine highway bridges, miles of highways, and many public and private buildings were destroyed. The mudflow height is recorded by mud coatings on tree trunks. Photo credit: D.R. Crandell, U.S. Geological Survey Full resolution image

Mudflow, Mount Saint Helens, Washington

Mudflow, Mount Saint Helens, Washington Melting snow and ice on the north flank of Mount Saint Helens (after an eruption in 1982), triggered this lahar which traveled rapidly down the valley of the North Fork of the Toutle River. Photo credit: U.S. Geological Survey Full resolution image

Landslide, Golden, Colorado

Landslide, Golden, Colorado This small landslide is on a roadcut failure, on Colorado State Highway 93, between Golden and Boulder, Colorado. The landslide began in 1993 and cost Federal, State, and local governments $4 million to evaluate and remedy. Remedial measures included giant tiebacks holding the slide material into the Precambrian bedrock, together with the construction of an elaborate drainage system within the slide. Photo credit: W.M. Brown, III, U.S. Geological Survey Full resolution image

Debris Flow from Storm King Mountain, Glenwood Springs, Colorado

Debris Flow from Storm King Mountain, Glenwood Springs, Colorado The photograph shows the results of debris flows that blocked Interstate 70 during Labor Day weekend, September, 1994. A very hot and fast-moving wildfire in July denuded the slopes of vegetation. An intense rain storm generated debris flows from material on the burned hill slopes and in the channels between hills. Thirty cars were swept into the Colorado River, but no one was hurt. Interstate traffic was disrupted for a day. This caused serious delays for emergency vehicles and hospital access, as Interstate 70 was the only rapid access route through this part of the Rockies. The Interstate 70 corridor through the Rocky Mountains experiences numerous problems from landslides, debris flows, and rockfalls. [Photo credit: J. Scheidt, Bureau of Land Management.] Full resolution image

Debris Flow, Glenwood Springs, Colorado

Debris Flow, Glenwood Springs, Colorado Photo shows depth of material that flowed down a hillside channel onto Interstate 70, September, 1994. Photo credit: S. Diehl, U.S. Geological Survey Full resolution image

Landslide, Zion National Park, Utah

Landslide, Zion National Park, Utah In April, 1995, a landslide blocked the road leading into Zion Park Lodge. One hundred people were stranded for two days, because this road was the only access to and from the lodge. Photo credit: R.L. Schuster, U.S. Geological Survey Full resolution image

Landslide and Debris Flow, La Conchita, California

Landslide and Debris Flow, La Conchita, California La Conchita is a small seaside community along Highway 101, north of Santa Barbara. This landslide and debris flow occurred in the spring of 1995. Many people were evacuated because of the slide, and the nine houses nearest the slide were heavily damaged or completely destroyed. Fortunately, no one was killed or injured. Note the crescent-shaped scarp at the head of the slump. Photo credit: R.L. Schuster, U.S. Geological Survey Full resolution image

Landslide, Colorado Springs, Colorado

Landslide, Colorado Springs, Colorado The spring of 1995 was very rainy in eastern Colorado, and at this site the rains initiated landsliding. The area, located on hilly terrain in a mapped ancient landslide area, was part of a development built in the 1980s. Rains saturated the native soil and lubricated shear planes in the shale, which started the hillside moving. This home was one of two that were damaged so extensively that they were eventually condemned. Photo credit: Colorado Geological Survey Full resolution image

Landslide and Debris Flows, Stella, Washington

Landslide and Debris Flows, Stella, Washington During the winter storms of February 1996, landslides and debris flows occurred in the northwestern United States. Areas of highest rainfall intensities were centered along the Oregon-Washington border. Estimates of damage from the floods and landslides exceeded $800 million in Washington and Oregon alone. This photo shows a landslide in marine sediments over basalt, extending across Washington State Highway 4 into the Columbia River west of Stella. Photo credit: R.L. Schuster, U.S. Geological Survey Full resolution image

Bonners Ferry, Idaho

Bonners Ferry, Idaho On October 15, 1998, more than 200,000 years of mud gushed out of North Hill. It covered up a county road, and destroyed a portion of Union Pacific track and a 200 yard area of Highway 95. The mass of mud buried almost one million dollars worth of equipment. Note the rails still suspended in air after the collapse of material beneath them. Highway 95, Idaho's only major north-south route, was closed three weeks because of the slide. [Photo credit: D. Krammer, Disaster Services Boundary County Idaho.] Full resolution image