Research
The USGS Landslide Hazards Program conducts research in order to make accurate landslide hazard maps and forecasts of landslide occurrences by answering these major questions:
- Where and when will landslides occur?
- How big will the landslides be?
- How fast and how far will they move?
- What areas will the landslides affect or damage?
- How frequently do landslides occur in a given locality?
Catastrophic LandslidingChief: Mark Reid
Staff: Mark Reid, Dianne Brien
Geographic Area(s): Northern California
No Publications
Staff: Mark Reid, Dianne Brien
Geographic Area(s): Northern California
No Publications
Hazard AssessmentsChief: Rex Baum
Staff: Jeff Coe, Edwin Harp, Jonathan Godt, Bill Schulz, Mark Reid, Dianne Brien, Rex Baum
Geographic Area(s): Western Oregon, Seattle, Washington
PublicationsRelated SitesLandslide Hazard Assessments Research: Research on hazardous landslide processes, including their mechanisms, recurrence, distribution, and probability is the main activity of this project. The objective of our research is to improve understanding of the processes and develop physically based procedures for deterministic and probabilistic landslide hazard assessment. The principal study area is currently western Oregon; studies are also being conducted in selected areas of Washington State, Colorado, and California. Research in Oregon is being conducted in cooperation with the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) with focus on major hazardous landslide processes affecting western Oregon, particularly debris flow and reactivation of large, deep landslides.
Staff: Jeff Coe, Edwin Harp, Jonathan Godt, Bill Schulz, Mark Reid, Dianne Brien, Rex Baum
Geographic Area(s): Western Oregon, Seattle, Washington
PublicationsRelated SitesLandslide Hazard Assessments Research: Research on hazardous landslide processes, including their mechanisms, recurrence, distribution, and probability is the main activity of this project. The objective of our research is to improve understanding of the processes and develop physically based procedures for deterministic and probabilistic landslide hazard assessment. The principal study area is currently western Oregon; studies are also being conducted in selected areas of Washington State, Colorado, and California. Research in Oregon is being conducted in cooperation with the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI) with focus on major hazardous landslide processes affecting western Oregon, particularly debris flow and reactivation of large, deep landslides.
Landslide Magnitude and MobilityChief: Jeff Coe
Staff: Jeff Coe, Bill Schulz, Jonathan Godt, Rex Baum, Dianne Brien, Mark Reid, Joel Smith
Geographic Area(s): Colorado, Western Oregon
No Publications
Staff: Jeff Coe, Bill Schulz, Jonathan Godt, Rex Baum, Dianne Brien, Mark Reid, Joel Smith
Geographic Area(s): Colorado, Western Oregon
No Publications
Landslide Potential and InitiationChief: Rex Baum
Staff: Jeff Coe, Brian Collins, Jonathan Godt, Edwin Harp, Bill Schulz, Joel Smith, Jonathan Stock
Geographic Area(s): Colorado, Inter-mountain West, Western Oregon, Seattle, Washington
No Publications
Staff: Jeff Coe, Brian Collins, Jonathan Godt, Edwin Harp, Bill Schulz, Joel Smith, Jonathan Stock
Geographic Area(s): Colorado, Inter-mountain West, Western Oregon, Seattle, Washington
No Publications
Landslide Studies in Western OregonChief: Rex Baum
Staff: Joel Smith, Jonathan Godt, Jason Kean, Jeff Coe, Bill Schulz
Geographic Area(s): Western Oregon
No PublicationsRelated Sites
Staff: Joel Smith, Jonathan Godt, Jason Kean, Jeff Coe, Bill Schulz
Geographic Area(s): Western Oregon
No PublicationsRelated Sites
National Landslide Information CenterChief: Rex Baum
Staff: Lynn Highland
Geographic Area(s): Nationwide
PublicationsNational Landslide Information Center: Economic losses from landslides occur in every state and territory of the U.S. Improved public awareness of landslides and the hazards they pose to property and public safety is necessary to achieve significant reduction in landslide related losses. The National Landslide Information Center (NLIC) in Golden, Colorado conducts outreach for the Landslide Hazard Program. These activities are undertaken to promote awareness of the national landslide problem, assist professionals and the general public in locating appropriate landslide information (maps and other literature), to promote awareness of USGS products and services related to landslides.
Staff: Lynn Highland
Geographic Area(s): Nationwide
PublicationsNational Landslide Information Center: Economic losses from landslides occur in every state and territory of the U.S. Improved public awareness of landslides and the hazards they pose to property and public safety is necessary to achieve significant reduction in landslide related losses. The National Landslide Information Center (NLIC) in Golden, Colorado conducts outreach for the Landslide Hazard Program. These activities are undertaken to promote awareness of the national landslide problem, assist professionals and the general public in locating appropriate landslide information (maps and other literature), to promote awareness of USGS products and services related to landslides.
Post-Wildfire Debris Flow Generation ProcessesChief: Jason Kean
Staff: Jason Kean, Kevin Schmidt, Jonathan Stock, Maiana Hanshaw, Sue Cannon
Geographic Area(s): Southern California
PublicationsRelated Sites
Staff: Jason Kean, Kevin Schmidt, Jonathan Stock, Maiana Hanshaw, Sue Cannon
Geographic Area(s): Southern California
PublicationsRelated Sites
Post-wildfire Debris Flow Hazard AssessmentsChief: Jason Kean
Staff: Joe Gartner, Dennis Staley
Geographic Area(s): Inter-mountain West, Southern California
PublicationsRelated Sites
Staff: Joe Gartner, Dennis Staley
Geographic Area(s): Inter-mountain West, Southern California
PublicationsRelated Sites
Post-Wildfire Debris Flow SusceptibilityChief: Jason Kean
Staff: Dennis Staley, Sue Cannon, Joe Gartner
Geographic Area(s): Southern California, Inter-mountain West
PublicationsRelated Sites
Staff: Dennis Staley, Sue Cannon, Joe Gartner
Geographic Area(s): Southern California, Inter-mountain West
PublicationsRelated Sites
Post-Wildfire Debris Flow Warning SystemChief: Jason Kean
Staff: Joe Gartner, Dennis Staley
Geographic Area(s): Southern California
PublicationsRelated Sites
Staff: Joe Gartner, Dennis Staley
Geographic Area(s): Southern California
PublicationsRelated Sites
Rapid Landslide Hazard Assessment Real-Time Landslide MonitoringChief: Rex Baum
Staff: Bill Schulz, Mark Reid, Rex Baum, Jonathan Godt, Jeff Coe, Dianne Brien
Geographic Area(s): Western Oregon, Northern California, Colorado
PublicationsReal-Time Monitoring and Landslide Process Research: Catastrophic landsliding is an inherently transient process; accurate understanding requires real-time or near real-time monitoring of both triggering phenomena and landslide activity. USGS landslide monitoring and related field studies of landslide processes provide information needed to constrain alert and warning thresholds, and document processes that precede (and therefore can be used to help predict) landslide catastrophes. This research relies on many kinds of field instrumentation to monitor landslide activity and processes as well as complex mathematical models to interpret the results. USGS landslide monitoring research contributes to the eventual goal of accurately forecasting landslide catastrophes.
Staff: Bill Schulz, Mark Reid, Rex Baum, Jonathan Godt, Jeff Coe, Dianne Brien
Geographic Area(s): Western Oregon, Northern California, Colorado
PublicationsReal-Time Monitoring and Landslide Process Research: Catastrophic landsliding is an inherently transient process; accurate understanding requires real-time or near real-time monitoring of both triggering phenomena and landslide activity. USGS landslide monitoring and related field studies of landslide processes provide information needed to constrain alert and warning thresholds, and document processes that precede (and therefore can be used to help predict) landslide catastrophes. This research relies on many kinds of field instrumentation to monitor landslide activity and processes as well as complex mathematical models to interpret the results. USGS landslide monitoring research contributes to the eventual goal of accurately forecasting landslide catastrophes.
