A new map showing the risk of landslides nationwide is based on research from a University of Cincinnati professor. The US Geologic Survey (USGS) map published last week uses a database created by Daniel Sturmer of UC’s Department of Geosciences.
"It's important to know where you've had landslides, because that can tell you where you will have landslides again," Sturmer told WVXU.
He says studying the topic a few years ago highlighted the lack of information available.
"I went and scoured all the pre-existing geologic maps in the summer of 2020 when we couldn't go anywhere, and put together this database of about 700 landslides in Nevada," Sturmer said. "And then I was contacted by the folks at USGS, and so they incorporated my database into the bigger database that they've used for the big compilation for the U.S."
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The interactive map shows locations of documented landslides, plus a heat map showing which areas are at higher risk for landslides. In Cincinnati, for example, there's much less risk in the urban core, where the terrain is relatively flat; that risk goes up significantly in the hilly areas surrounding Cincinnati.
A series of landslides along Columbia Parkway in 2019 led officials to declare a city emergency and approve $17 million for stabilizing the hillside.
The USGS report shows the highest landslide risk is in the western third of the U.S., plus the Appalachian region.
"Landslide risk as a thing is not just in the Rocky Mountains, it's not just Colorado or Nevada or Washington state, or California — you know, places where there are mountains," Sturmer said.
Sturmer says the overall risk of landslides is increasing with climate change.
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"When we think about landslides, we have to think about triggering mechanisms," he said. "And one of the big triggering mechanisms — you can think of as lubrication — is from water, from rainfall."
A warming Earth means more moisture in the atmosphere, leading to heavier rainfall events.
How to recognize a potential landslide
"Generally [landslides] don't just happen out of the blue with no initial indicators," Sturmer said. "If you can learn those warning signs and learn to look for them, then you can hopefully contact somebody, and bring somebody out who can help mitigate it before it's a catastrophe."
Sturmer says to look for tilted trees, poles, and walls on any inclined surface; this can indicate the soil underneath is slowly moving. You can also check for cracks in buildings, retaining walls, and roads, and even in the soil itself.
Learn more about how to identify a potential landslide in the flier below:
