Landslide Photo Collections

Searchable USGS Photo and Multimedia Archive with Ordering Information

The 1983 Thistle, Landslide is one of the largest to have occurred in the United States. It was the costliest landslide in the U.S., and is still moving slowly, year to year. For more information on the Thistle Landslide, please see this website: http://geology.utah.gov/surveynotes/geosights/thistle.htm

  • The Thistle Landslide, 1983 (Photo by Robert L. Schuster, U.S. Geological Survey).
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  • The Thistle Landslide, 2005 (Photo from Geological Survey of Utah, http://geology.utah.gov/surveynotes/geosights/thistle.htm)
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  • Landslide dam (yellow) and shorelines (blue) of “Thistle Lake.” View to the north from U.S. Route 89. (Photo from Utah Geological Survey, http://geology.utah.gov/surveynotes/geosights/thistle.htm)
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  • View to the south (upstream) of the Thistle landslide dam and Spanish Fork River diversion tunnels. (Photo from Utah Geological Survey website link: http://geology.utah.gov/surveynotes/geosights/thistle.htm)
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  • View to the south (upstream) of the Thistle landslide dam and Spanish Fork River diversion tunnels, with labels (in yellow). (Photo from Utah Geological Survey: http://geology.utah.gov/surveynotes/geosights/thistle.htm)
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  • Thistle landslide, 2001. View to the west from pullout on U.S. Route 6/89. Yellow line shows approximate extent of 1983 landsliding. Black line shows approximate extent of 1998 reactivation and enlargement. (Photo by Francis Ashland, Utah Geological Survey)
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  • The Thistle landslide formed a dam, which blocked and backed up the Spanish Fork River, flooding the town of Thistle which was upstream from the landslide. This photo shows remnants of Thistle’s old red schoolhouse, taken in 2005. (Photo from the Utah Geological Survey, http://geology.utah.gov/surveynotes/geosights/thistle.htm)
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  • Though apparently intact, this house was buried to the eaves while inundated by “Thistle Lake” and recently re-flooded by Thistle Creek. Over 15 feet of sediment was locally deposited during the brief five months that the lake existed. Located on the west side of U.S. Route 89, just south of Thistle’s old red schoolhouse ruins. (Photo from the Utah Geological Survey: http://geology.utah.gov/surveynotes/geosights/thistle.htm)
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  • With the rise of “Thistle Lake,” roofs became rafts, now randomly strewn along the former shoreline. Located on the east side of U.S. Route 89, just south of Thistle’s old red schoolhouse ruins (Photo from the Utah Geological Survey website link: http://geology.utah.gov/surveynotes/geosights/thistle.htm)
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