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Landslide Hazards Program

The primary objective of the National Landslide Hazards Program is to reduce long-term losses from landslide hazards by improving our understanding of the causes of ground failure and suggesting mitigation strategies.

News

Hurricane Helene’s Deadly Landslide Legacy

Hurricane Helene’s Deadly Landslide Legacy

USGS Awards a Dozen Landslide Risk Reduction Grants to Enhance Public Safety and Hazard Preparedness Nationwide

USGS Awards a Dozen Landslide Risk Reduction Grants to Enhance Public Safety and Hazard Preparedness Nationwide

USGS Seeks Landslide Risk Reduction Proposals (FY25)

USGS Seeks Landslide Risk Reduction Proposals (FY25)

Publications

2024 Surprise Inlet landslides: Insights from a prototype landslide‐triggered tsunami monitoring system in Prince William Sound, Alaska 2024 Surprise Inlet landslides: Insights from a prototype landslide‐triggered tsunami monitoring system in Prince William Sound, Alaska

Alaska's coastal communities face growing landslide hazards owing to glacier retreat and extreme weather intensified by the warming climate, yet hazard monitoring remains challenging. As part of ongoing experimental monitoring in Prince William Sound, we detected three large landslides (0.5–2.3 M m3) at Surprise Inlet on 20 September 2024, within the span of an hour. These events were...
Authors
Ezgi Karasözen, Michael E. West, Katherine R. Barnhart, John J. Lyons, Terry Nichols, Lauren N. Schaefer, Bohyun Bahng, Summer Ohlendorf, Dennis M. Staley, Gabriel J. Wolken

Cascading land surface hazards as a nexus in the Earth system Cascading land surface hazards as a nexus in the Earth system

Earth’s surface is sculpted by numerous processes that move sediment, ranging from gradual and benign to abrupt and catastrophic. Although infrequent, high-magnitude sediment mobilization events can be hazardous to people and infrastructure, leaving topographic imprints on the landscape and remarkable narratives in the historical record. Hazardous events such as fires, storms, and...
Authors
Brian J. Yanites, Marin Clark, Joshua J. Roering, A. Joshua West, Dimitrios Zekkos, Jane W. Baldwin, Corina Cerovski-Darriau, Sean F. Gallen, Daniel E. Horton, Eric Kirby, Ben Leshchinksy, H. Benjamin Mason, Seulgi Moon, Katherine R. Barnhart, Adam M. Booth, Jonathan A. Czuba, Scott W. McCoy, Luke A. McGuire, Allison M. Pfeiffer, Jennifer L. Pierce

Preliminary field report of landslide hazards following Hurricane Helene Preliminary field report of landslide hazards following Hurricane Helene

Executive SummaryThis report reflects our knowledge regarding the widespread landslide activity associated with Hurricane Helene observed during the U.S. Geological Survey’s (USGS) mission assignment to North Carolina in October 2024. The material in this report was originally prepared for the Federal Emergency Management Agency under mission assignment DR-4827-NC. The data and...
Authors
Kate E. Allstadt, Sara K. McBride, Jonathan W. Godt, Stephen L. Slaughter, Kelli W. Baxstrom, Steven Sobieszczyk, Anna Stull

Science

Clay Banks East Landslide Monitoring Site Near Deming, WA

River-adjacent glacial terraces in western Washington State can produce large, highly mobile landslides. The Clay Banks monitoring site supports research on seasonal landslide activity in glacial terraces that are being eroded by rivers.
Clay Banks East Landslide Monitoring Site Near Deming, WA

Clay Banks East Landslide Monitoring Site Near Deming, WA

River-adjacent glacial terraces in western Washington State can produce large, highly mobile landslides. The Clay Banks monitoring site supports research on seasonal landslide activity in glacial terraces that are being eroded by rivers.
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Brights Creek, North Carolina - Recent Conditions

Brights Creek, North Carolina - Recent Conditions

Recent Monitoring Data
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Shumont Mountain, North Carolina - Recent Conditions

Shumont Mountain, North Carolina - Recent Conditions

Recent Monitoring Data
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Multimedia

Side view of a rocky peak partially covered in snow Geologic Controls on Deep-Seated Landslides
Geologic Controls on Deep-Seated Landslides
snowcapped mountain peak surrounded by tree-covered hillslopes Understanding large rock slides in deglaciated valleys in the Central and Patagonian Andes
Understanding large rock slides in deglaciated valleys in the Central and Patagonian Andes
person standing in canyon on top of mud, rocks, and vegetation
Debris flow in the 2025 Eaton Fire burn area, California
Debris flow in the 2025 Eaton Fire burn area, California
national landslide susceptibility map infographic
National Landslide Susceptibility Map Infographic
National Landslide Susceptibility Map Infographic
person holding notebook and wearing hardhat lies on ground watching graduated cylinder and recording measurements
Soil property measurements in the Eaton Fire burn area, Angeles National Forest, California
Soil property measurements in the Eaton Fire burn area, Angeles National Forest, California
burned hillside with no ash and very sparse vegetation
A steep, burned hillside in the 2025 Eaton Fire, Los Angeles County, California.
A steep, burned hillside in the 2025 Eaton Fire, Los Angeles County, California.
hillslope partially covered by burned vegetation
Burned and unburned hillslopes, Eaton Fire, California
Burned and unburned hillslopes, Eaton Fire, California
postfire debris flow science infographic
Postfire Debris Flow Science Infographic
Postfire Debris Flow Science Infographic
Steep hillslope denuded of vegetation
A steep, burned hillside in the 2025 Eaton Fire, Los Angeles County, California.
A steep, burned hillside in the 2025 Eaton Fire, Los Angeles County, California.
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