Landslide Photo Collections

Searchable USGS Photo and Multimedia Archive with Ordering Information

A series of storms in the latter part of December 1996 and the first week in January 1997 caused flooding and erosion in the Sierra Nevada and adjacent Central Valley, California. One of the larger landslides triggered by this climatic event was the Sourgrass debris flow. The debris flow occurred at about 6:30 pm on January 1, 1997. The U.S. Geological Survey noted this slope movement during an aerial reconnaissance of the central Sierra Nevada after the New Years storm. The debris flow is also known as the Dorrington debris flow (For more information please see a U.S. Geological Survey report online: http://landslides.usgs.gov/recent/archives/1997sierra.php).

  • Another debris flow that crossed US 50, blocking the highway about a mile east of the larger debris flow in the previous figure (Photo by Steve Ellen, U. S. Geological Survey, Emeritus).
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  • Toe of Dorrington debris flow. The debris flow actually crossed the Stanislaus River and deposited material on the opposite bank, indicating that the slide moved at a high velocity. (Photo by Mark Reid, U. S. Geological Survey).
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  • Large debris flow near Dorrington on State Route 4, in 1997.  Debris flow was triggered by precipitation during major storm event.  A total of over 10 inches of precipitation fell at nearby Calaveras Big Trees State Park between December 31, 1996 and January 2, 1997.Total runout distance is about three miles (Photo by Mark Reid, U. Ss Geological Survey).
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  • Large debris flow crossing US Highway 50 between Kyburz and Strawberry, closing the main road to South Lake Tahoe  (Photo by Steve Ellen, U. S. Geological Survey, Emeritus).
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