Landslides, the downslope movement of earth materials like soil and rock, are a serious threat to communities in the Rocky Mountains and the Sierra Nevada mountains.
That’s according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), which just released an interactive map highlighting dangerous areas, which also include parts of Appalachia, southeast Alaska, and the California Coast, among others.
Benjamin Mirus, a USGS research geologist, said the map is a tool that everyone can use, “whether it's a person looking at where they live and frequent, or decision-maker looking at the areas they're responsible for, they can look and see which areas are potentially prone to landslides.”
The warning signs of a landslide are slopes with large cracks in the soil, and trees and telephone poles leaning over, said Mirus, adding that watersheds burned by wildfire are also vulnerable areas.
The top trigger of landslides are extreme rainfall events, which are increasing due to human-caused climate change. Other triggering events are earthquakes and human development, Mirus said.
Mirus and fellow researchers analyzed nearly 1 million previous landslides to build their comprehensive susceptibility map of the U.S.
Landslides are also a growing issue around the world. Research out of the UK shows that, globally, there have been more than 400 landslides this year, causing more than 3,600 deaths.
This story was produced by the Mountain West News Bureau, a collaboration between Wyoming Public Media, Nevada Public Radio, Boise State Public Radio in Idaho, KUNR in Nevada, KUNC in Colorado and KANW in New Mexico, with support from affiliate stations across the region. Funding for the Mountain West News Bureau is provided in part by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
