[ghsc-seminars] REMINDER: This Morning, January 23rd @ 10am, USGS-GHSC Seminar: Ben Mirus

[Oliver Boyd]

Hydrologic impacts of landslide disturbances: Implications for remobilization, hazard persistence, and landslide early warning

 


Dr. Ben Mirus, USGS Geologic Hazards Science Center, Golden, CO

The most deadly landslides in recent U.S. history resulted from reactivation of existing landslides. Motivated by these tragedies and other landslide-related losses, we investigated why recent landslides may be less stable than similar hillslopes nearby. Observations and hydrologic monitoring near Seattle, Washington reveals that some hillslopes remain stable in part because roots reinforce the soils, but also because the vegetated soils drain efficiently following major rainstorms. In contrast, landslides disrupt vegetation and soil properties, reducing water use and drainage efficiency. As a result, recent landslides in the area become wetter earlier in the winter rainy season than undisturbed hillslopes and also stay wetter longer after the rains ended. 

The combination of reduced root strength and the persistence of wetter soil are “self-driving” factors that contribute to remobilization of recent landslides.  This increased potential for recurring slope failures complicates our ongoing efforts to employ hydrologic monitoring and modeling to establish physically based landslide early warning criteria for the Seattle-Everett railway line along Puget Sound.  




Tuesday, January 23rd, 2018





10-11 am​

 

 (Mountain Time)
USGS, 1711 Illinois Street, Golden, CO
Entry Level Seminar Room

*Note: Please arrive ~5 minutes early and bring photo ID for airport-style security measures now in place at the USGS building.

Thank you,
GHSC Seminar Committee 

Mirus, Ben - bbmirus at usgs.gov
Josh Rigler - erigler at usgs.gov
Oliver Boyd - oboyd at usgs.gov

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