Landslide News and Information Archives
Notice: We do our best to maintain this page; however, as many of the links are to outside sources, there may be some which have expired. If you find any broken links, please let us know and we will remove it from this page.
| 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 | 1998 | 1997 |
| El Niño | Nisqually Earthquake | Pacific Northwest Storms |
2003
- USGS Issues Landslide Advisory – Landslides May Occur During Rain and Snow in Seattle, WA area
According to USGS geologist Alan Chleborad from Golden, Colorado, "USGS has studied the amounts of precipitation and soil moisture needed to cause landslides in the Seattle area." Chleborad said the rainfall thresholds for landslides were developed with the presumption that landslides would occur during the period of time from November to April, when soils are usually wetter. Only a few isolated landslides occurred during the past storm of October 20 when soils were relatively dry. But that has changed with additional rainfall from recent storms. Soil moisture is much closer to the saturation level and additional storms could trigger landslides. (posted November 20, 2003)
- Heavy Storms in the Eastern U.S. Cause Landslides in West Virginia (link has expired)
- Cascades Rockslide update (posted November 18, 2003)
- Cascades Rockslide update
Plans have changed somewhat with the USGS response to the North Cascades rockslide. Washington Dept. of Transportation (WSDOT) geologists have discovered that the unstable region around the rockslide is much larger than previously thought. In addition, the weather has deteriorated and several storms are expected over the next few days. At present, the monitoring is on hold until the situation becomes clearer. (posted November 17, 2003)
- Debris-Flow Hazards from Wildfires, in Southern California
- Cascades Mountains Rockslide, Washington (posted November 12, 2003)
- California Faces Threat of Flooding, Mudslides (posted November 7, 2003)
- Indonesia – Flash Floods and Landslides (posted November 6, 2003)
- USGS Warns of Landslide Dangers with Rains in Seattle, WA Area. (link has expired)
- Storms hit the Puget Sound area of Washington–could cause landslides to occur (posted October 24, 2003)
- Flood and landslide disaster in Vietnam (added October 21, 2003)
- Rockfall fatality on Interstate-70, Colorado (link has expired)
- Hurricane Isabel – Inland U.S. Landslide Effects (added September 25, 2003)
- Mud and debris close Colorado highway in wildfire burn area (link has expired)
- Mud and rockfalls raise havoc on Colorado Highway (link has expired)
- Landslides and Rockfalls due to Earthquake in Greece (link has expired)
- Landslides and Rockfalls in Greece from Earthquake (link has expired)
- Damaging Landslides in New Guinea (Added August 15, 2003)
- Mud and debris close Highway 57, near 2002 Hayman Fire area, Deckers, Colorado. (link has expired)
- Floods and Landslides kill 46 in Nepal (added 22-Jul-2003)
- 'Freak' Va. Landslide Imperils Homes (link has expired)
First there were mud and grass oozing off a steep incline onto Telegraph Road early last week. Next, trees began sliding down the slope, carried by the moving earth below. Then, a huge chunk of hillside went, leaving behind a McMansion-size crater. Residents could hardly believe their eyes: a landslide in Fairfax County. By David Cho (added 03-Jul-2003)
- Floods and Landslides in Bangladesh (added 02-Jul-2003)
- Landslides in India Derail Train, Kill 51 (link has expired)
- Magnitude 7.0 Earthquake Shakes Japan, Causes Landslides (link has expired)
- May 9, 2003 rockfall in Glenwood Canyon closes interstate 70 in Colorado (added 14-may-03)
- Deadly landslide in New Guinea (added 7-May-03)
- Devastating Landslide in Guatemala (added 1-May-03)
- Danger of further collapse impedes rescue efforts in Bolivia (added 9 April, 2003)
- The search for victims of the Chima, Bolivia landslide (added 7 April, 2003)
- Chima, Bolivia – Landslide Buries Hundreds of Houses (added 02-Apr-2003)
- Preliminary Soil-Slip Susceptibility Maps, Southwestern California (added 05-Mar-2003)
- Torrential Rains in Southern California Cause Landslides (link has expired)
- Landslides in Garut, West Java – 18 people killed (added 30 January, 2003)
- Hail and landslides disrupt Vanuatu (South Pacific) (added 07 January, 2003)
2002
- Vanuatu 5.9 magnitude earthquake causes damaging landslides (added 11 December, 2002)
- Photos of landslides and fault displacement from the November 3, 2002 Alaskan earthquake (added 21 November, 2002)
- Landslides resulting from the November 3, 2002 Denali Fault, Alaska, Earthquake (added 21 November, 2002)
- Ice Slab from Glacier Engulfs Village (link has expired)
- Landslides in Nepal Sweep Away Houses (added 27 August, 2002)
- Report on debris flow near Buena Vista, CO- (Cottonwood Creek) (added 26 August, 2002)
- Floods and Landslides Hit India (added 28 July, 2002)
- Alaska Landslide Causes Flooding (link has expired)
- Slides Hit Buena Vista, Colorado Area (link has expired)
- Landslides in Micronesia (added 22 July, 2002)
- Fire-Related Debris-flows and Potential Debris-flows: (added 10 July, 2002)
- May 10, 2002, Floods and landslides drive thousands from homes in Uganda (link has expired)
- May 9, 2002, East African floods and landslides kill 112, leave thousands homeless (link has expired)
- Landslide in Papua New Guinea - Report #1 (added April 4, 2002)
- Landslide in Papua New Guinea - Report #2 (updated April 10, 2002)
2001
- Landslide conference in Portland, Oregon, September 10-14, 2001 (link has expired)
- Hot weather makes for high runoff from Rainier glaciers. Hot weather in the Pacific Northwest has resulted in increased melting of glaciers around Mount Rainier, producing more melt water than usual. (posted 16 August 2001)
- Floods and Landslides in West Virginia
On July 8, 2001, twenty West Virginia counties experienced severe riverine flooding and landslides caused by intense rain. The rain was the result of isolated thunderstorms that repeatedly formed and moved along near-identical tracks. Reported rainfall was 5 to 8 inches in 6 hours. In a combined effort between the Charleston, West Virginia USGS Office and the Reston, Virginia USGS Office, a scope of work report will be prepared for landslide analysis. This report will include a summary of affected locations by county, (or other geographic criteria such as quadrangle maps), and a categorization will be applied to these locations based on the severity of the impact. Collection of remotely sensed data and aerial photography in support of the identification of landslide-affected areas should be considered.
Any reports resulting from the landslide investigations will be reviewed and posted on this website.
- Colorado Debris Flows Close Highways – preliminary report. (added 23 July 2001)
- At 2:30 am 2/12/01, there was a rock fall along Highway 140, just within the boundary of Yosemite National Park, California. (added 13 February 2001)
- A massive landslide occurred in the Las Colinas neighborhood of Santa Tecla, El Salvador, Central America. (added 16 January 2001)
- Landslide monitoring Woodway, Washington (graphs updated hourly)
- Real-time monitoring of an active landslide above Highway 50, California.
2000
- Emergency Assessement for Flood and Debris-Flow Hazards from the Hi Meadows and Bobcat fires, Colorado. (link has expired)
- Russian Earthquake of August 5, 2000 Causes Substantial Landslide.
- USGS team to study Taiwan earthquake.
- Venezuelan Floods and Landslides (link has expired)
1999
- Yellowstone National Park Experiences Damaging Rockslide
- 10 new maps showing locations of damaging landslides caused by El Niño rainstorms, winter season 1997-98, San Francisco Bay region, California.
- A new look at an old landslide (Bonneville)
- Rockfall in Yosemite National Park, CA – Open-File-Report 99-385
- Debris-flows and landslides stalled summer traffic throughout Colorado's mountain corridors.
- Devastating landslide on the Island of Oahu, Hawaii – Event 9 May 1999.
- Grand Canyon – flooding, debris-flows, and rockfalls – Event July 14, 1999.
- Debris flows and flooding in the San Bernardino Mountains, CA. One person killed. – Event July 12, 1999
- Rockfall in Yosemite National Park, CA – Event 13 June 1999.
- Slide show of Hurricane Mitch effects in Honduras/Nicaragua
- Coastal Erosion Along the U.S. West Coast During the 1997-98 El Niño: Expectations and Observations
- Large Landslides Monitored in Real Time on the World Wide Web
- January, 1999 issue – Atlantic Monthly: Liquid Earth, a report on current research and information about landslides. (link has expired)
- Hurricane Mitch/Casitas Volcano: Disaster in Central America. Multiple devastating mudslides swept into nearby communities: 1,900 people killed. (link has expired)
- Hurricane Georges – effects in Puerto Rico (link has expired)
1998
- Breakout flow of Casita Volcano, Nicaragua triggered by Hurricane Mitch
- Landslides Triggered by the Winter 1996-97 Storms in the Puget Lowland, Washington. Open-File Report 98-239 not available online at this time
- Debris Flow Hazards in the United States (posted 20 May 1998)
- Landslides triggered by Pacific Northwest Storms, November and December 1998
- A massive landslide occured on April 22nd, 1998, near Aromas, California
- Snowmelt-Season Landslides. Open-File Report 98-124 not available online at this time
- Wolf Mountain landslide, Jackson, Wyoming (link has expired)
- Laguna Canyon Landslide
- San Francisco Bay Area landslide location map
- San Francisco Bay area reconnaissance on February 4, 1998
1997
- Aspen debris flow blocks Colorado 82.
- News Release: Landslide near Aspen, Colorado
- Tiny Town rockslide blocks US 285.
- A Volumetric Sediment Analysis for Kinsey Run Debris Flow triggered during an extreme storm event, Madison County, Virginia
- Landslide Reconaissance in the Puget Sound area January 22-25, 1997
- Landslide Hazards in Washington State Due to February 5-9, 1996 Storm (Acrobat reader required)
- An Outbreak of Coccidioidomycosis (Valley Fever) Caused by Landslides Triggered by the 1994 Northridge, California Earthquake
- Debris and Flood Hazard Video
- Landslides: Investigation and Mitigation; Transportation Research Board Special Report 247
- Aerial reconnaissance of potential landslide activity in the central Sierra Nevada Mountains. (flown 01/08/97)
- Behind the scenes in the Pacific Northwest Flooding
- Idaho flood summary, Jan. 3, 1997
- USGS study of snowmelt-induced landslides in the western US.
- GPS Monitoring along the Interstate 70 corridor west of Denver, Colorado. (link has expired)
The USGS is prohibited from reproducing copyrighted news articles on its web pages – as a result, we generally report landslides of significant magnitude or those that our research team has investigated. Since we do not receive automatic reports of landslides everywhere in the world, it is suggested that those searching for recent landslides, also engage the use of local newspapers, most of which are readily accessible on the internet.
