Landslide Photo Collections

Searchable USGS Photo and Multimedia Archive with Ordering Information

This collection features photos of landslides throughout the United States, not categorized by event

  • A photo fo the ancestral volcano, Mount Shasta, California, USA. Note the landforms in the foreground, caused by an ancient debris avalanche that traveled great distances from the volcano itself. The landslide occurred in prehistoric times, but still has lasting landform effects. Photo by R. Crandall, USGS.
    shasta.jpg
  • The head of a slump in the Black Hills of North Dakota. A slump is a fairly slow-moving landslide that can occur on gentle slopes or steep slopes - it is often a pre-cursor to more fast moving types of landslides - Photo by B. Bradley, University of Colorado.
    slumpnodak.j...
  • The loose rubble on the hillside is a product of weathering and soil creep called colluvium. It creeps downhill slowly but is not very securely in place and can also give way as a debris flow if it becomes wet enough. The photo was taken near San Bernardino, California.
    colluviumcre...
  • This is a photo of a landslide/rockfall mitigation technique. The bolts are fastened deep into the surface, preferably deep enough to anchor the surface area to bed rock. Usually, there are many spaced evenly over the area to be held in check.
    rockbolt.jpg
  • A landslide falling into the bay (in this case, in Alaska) can potentially cause a wave in the bay which could cause flooding and other wave-related damage. Please see this publication for more photos and more information: http://geopubs.wr.usgs.gov/open-file/of03-411/.
    glacierbay.j...
  • This photo shows an example of a slow-moving landslide called creep, on a hillside in California. Creep is evidenced by slowly deforming ground, bent fences and utility poles, and cracks and rolls on the landscape.
    creep2.jpg
  • This photo shows an example of a rockfall mitigation technique - the mesh contains the rock fall, preventing the rocks from hitting the road, and bouncing at great distances.
    rockbarrierc...
  • An example of roadside rockfall and landslide mitigation techniques, in vulnerable areas.
    rockbarrier....
  • Derailment of "California Zephyr" Amtrak passenger train near Granby, Colorado, in April 1985 caused by a minor landslide. Photo by Robert L. Schuster, USGS.
    granbyderail...
  • Landslide damage in Seattle, Washington from heavy rains which occurred in 2003.
    seattlebluff...
  • Photo of pipeline slide near Null's Crossing (Lewis County), near Chahallis, Washington. The landslide was triggered by the 2001 Nisqually, Washington earthquake - photo by National Science Foundation investigation team. For more information please see: http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2003/ofr-03-211/.
    pipelineslid...
  • A closeup photo of the Springdale, Utah landslide which moved in 2005. Photo by Francis Ashland, Utah Geological Survey.
    springdale2....
  • Photo of debris flow which occurred in Watrous Gulch, Colorado, in 1999. Photo by Jonathan Godt USGS. For more information, please see: http://landslides.usgs.gov/recent/archives/1999georgetown.php.
    watrousgulch...
  • The Headscarp of lateral spread showing remains of sand boil (after heavy rain). The total length of the scarp is approximately 200 feet (60 m) with a maximum vertical drop of 3 feet (1 m). Location is near Olympia, Washington. Lateral spread was caused by the 2001 Nisqually, Washington Earthquake. Photo by National Science Foundation investigation team. For more information please see: http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2003/ofr-03-211/.
    nsfsitea.jpg
  • Photo of a debris flow which occurred in Watrous Gulch, Colorado, in 1999. Photo by Jonathan Godt USGS. For more information, please see: http://landslides.usgs.gov/recent/archives/1999georgetown.php.
    watrousgulch...
  • The Mamayes, Puerto Rico landslide, 1985. This 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 that 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. Photo by R.W. Jibson, USGS.
    mamayes85.jp...
  • Forest destruction by 1995 debris flows in the Virginia Blue Ridge Mountains. Note the elevations that the crest of the debris flows reached, as the flows rounded the two bends visible. Photo by Kevin Lamb.
    virginiamadi...
  • On October 15, 1998, more than 400,000 cubic yards of mud gushed out of North Hill in Idaho. 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 by D. Krammer, Disaster Services Boundary County Idaho.
    bonnersferry...
  • Denudation of slopes in the Santa Susana Mountains of California. All of the light-colored areas are landslides that failed during the Northridge earthquake; many of these existed before the earthquake and were reactivated. Photo by Ed Harp, USGS. For more information please see: http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/1995/ofr-95-0213/.
    santasusanna...
  • Highway 101 near Ventura, California experienced mud slides and debris flows during the record winter rains of 2004-2005.
    mudslides.jp...

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