Landslide Hazard Mitigation in North America

Research Article| May 01, 2008 Landslide Hazard Mitigation in North America GERALD F. WIECZOREK; GERALD F. WIECZOREK 1U.S. Geological Survey, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, VA 20192 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar P PATRICK LEAHY P PATRICK LEAHY 2American Geological Institute, 4220 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22302 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information GERALD F. WIECZOREK 1U.S. Geological Survey, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, VA 20192 P PATRICK LEAHY 2American Geological Institute, 4220 King Street, Alexandria, VA 22302 Publisher: Association of Environmental & Engineering Geologists First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1558-9161 Print ISSN: 1078-7275 © 2008 Association of Engineering Geologists Environmental & Engineering Geoscience (2008) 14 (2): 133–144. https://doi.org/10.2113/gseegeosci.14.2.133 Article history First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Permissions Search Site Citation GERALD F. WIECZOREK, P PATRICK LEAHY; Landslide Hazard Mitigation in North America. Environmental & Engineering Geoscience 2008;; 14 (2): 133–144. doi: https://doi.org/10.2113/gseegeosci.14.2.133 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyEnvironmental & Engineering Geoscience Search Advanced Search Abstract Active landslides throughout the states and territories of the United States result in extensive property loss and 25–50 deaths per year. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has a long history of detailed examination of landslides since the work of Howe (1909) in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado. In the last four decades, landslide inventory maps and landslide hazard maps have depicted landslides of different ages, identified fresh landslide scarps, and indicated the direction of landslide movement for different regions of the states of Colorado, California, and Pennsylvania. Probability-based methods improve landslide hazards assessments. Rainstorms, earthquakes, wildfires, and volcanic eruptions can trigger landslides. Improvements in remote sensing of rainfall make it possible to issue landslide advisories and warnings for vulnerable areas. From 1986 to 1995, the USGS issued hazard warnings based on rainfall in the San Francisco Bay area. USGS workers also identified rainfall thresholds triggering landslides in Puerto Rico, Hawaii, Washington, and the Blue Ridge Mountains of central Virginia. Detailed on-site monitoring of landslides near highways in California and Colorado aided transportation officials. The USGS developed a comprehensive, multi-sector, and multi-agency strategy to mitigate landslide hazards nationwide. This study formed the foundation of the National Landslide Hazards Mitigation Strategy. The USGS, in partnership with the U.S. National Weather Service and the State of California, began to develop a real-time warning system for landslides from wildfires in Southern California as a pilot study in 2005. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.