Skip to main content
U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

The Preservation of Climate‐Driven Landslide Dams in Western Oregon

Journal Article · · Journal of Geophysical Research. Earth Surface
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1029/2020JF005908· OSTI ID:1778372
 [1];  [2];  [3];  [3];  [2];  [4]
  1. Department of Earth Sciences University of Oregon Eugene OR USA, Department of Geosciences University of Arizona Tucson AZ USA
  2. Department of Earth Sciences University of Oregon Eugene OR USA
  3. Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries Portland OR USA
  4. Laboratory of Tree Ring Research University of Arizona Tucson AZ USA

Abstract

Bedrock landsliding, including the formation of landslide dams, is a predominant geomorphic process in steep landscapes. Clarifying the importance of hydrologic and seismic mechanisms for triggering deep‐seated landslides remains an ongoing effort, and formulation of geomorphic metrics that predict dam preservation is crucial for quantifying secondary landslide hazards. Here, we identify >200 landslide‐dammed lakes in western Oregon and utilize dendrochronology and enhanced 14 C dating (“wiggle matching”) of “ghost forests” to establish slope failure timing at 20 sites. Our dated landslide dataset reveals bedrock landsliding has been common since the last Cascadia Subduction Zone earthquake in January 1700 AD. Our study does not reveal landslides that date to 1700 AD. Rather, we observe temporal clustering of at least four landslides in the winter of 1889/1890 AD, coincident with a series of atmospheric rivers that generated one of the largest regionally recorded floods. We use topographic and field analyses to assess the relation between dam preservation and topographic characteristics of the impounded valleys. In contrast to previous studies, we do not observe systematic scaling between dam size and upstream drainage area, though dam stability indices for our sites correspond with “stable” dams elsewhere. Notably, we observe that dams are preferentially preserved at drainage areas of ∼1.5 to 13 km 2 and valley widths of ∼25 to 80 m, which may reflect the reduced downstream influence of debris flows and the accumulation of mature conifer trees upstream from landslide‐dammed lake outlets. We suggest that wood accumulation upstream of landslide dams tempers large stream discharges, thus inhibiting dam incision.

Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
OSTI ID:
1778372
Journal Information:
Journal of Geophysical Research. Earth Surface, Journal Name: Journal of Geophysical Research. Earth Surface Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 126; ISSN 2169-9003
Publisher:
American Geophysical Union (AGU)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (91)

Seismic mountain building: Landslides associated with the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake in the context of a generalized model for earthquake volume balance: THE WENCHUAN COSEISMIC LANDSLIDE journal April 2014
Connectivity of earthquake-triggered landslides with the fluvial network: Implications for landslide sediment transport after the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake: WENCHUAN LANDSLIDE DISTRIBUTION journal April 2016
A seismologically consistent expression for the total area and volume of earthquake-triggered landsliding: MODELING EARTHQUAKE-TRIGGERED LANDSLIDES journal April 2016
Hillslope‐derived blocks retard river incision journal May 2016
Holocene history of deep-seated landsliding in the North Fork Stillaguamish River valley from surface roughness analysis, radiocarbon dating, and numerical landscape evolution modeling: Landsliding in the N. Fork Stillaguamish journal February 2017
Characterizing the influence of atmospheric river orientation and intensity on precipitation distributions over North Coastal California: ARs and Precipitation Over North Coastal CA journal September 2017
Where Does Wood Most Effectively Enhance Storage? Network-Scale Distribution of Sediment and Organic Matter Stored by Instream Wood journal January 2018
The influence of debris flows on channels and valley floors in the Oregon Coast Range, U.S.A. journal August 1990
Erosion rates in the southern oregon coast range: Evidence for an equilibrium between hillslope erosion and sediment yield journal June 1991
1500 years of lake sedimentation due to fire, earthquakes, floods and land clearance in the Oregon Coast Range: geomorphic sensitivity to floods during timber harvest period: NATURAL AND ANTHROPOGENIC EFFECTS ON SEDIMENTATION IN AN OREGON LAKE journal February 2018
Geomorphology and climate interact to control organic carbon stock and age in mountain river valley bottoms journal April 2020
Hydrological functioning of a beaver dam sequence and regional dam persistence during an extreme rainstorm journal July 2020
Formation, failure, and consequences of the Xiaolin landslide dam, triggered by extreme rainfall from Typhoon Morakot, Taiwan journal May 2013
Landslides induced by the 2010 Chile megathrust earthquake: a comprehensive inventory and correlations with geological and seismic factors journal March 2019
Some characteristics and consequences of snowmelt during rainfall in western Oregon journal October 1981
Topographic controls on erosion rates in tectonically active mountain ranges journal August 2002
A super-large landslide in Tibet in 2000: background, occurrence, disaster, and origin journal September 2003
Catastrophic landslides and their effects on the Upper Indus streams, Karakoram Himalaya, northern Pakistan journal December 1998
Classic and new dating methods for assessing the temporal occurrence of mass movements journal October 1999
The formation and impact of landslide dams – State of the art journal April 2020
Geomorphometric characteristics of New Zealand landslide dams journal May 2004
Geomorphic indexing of landslide dams evolution journal June 2016
Analyzing successive landslide dam formation by different triggering mechanisms: The case of the Tangjiawan landslide, Sichuan, China journal September 2018
Giant landslides, topography, and erosion journal September 2007
Spatial distribution and influence of large woody debris in an old-growth forest river system, New Zealand journal July 2008
Sediment generation and delivery from large historic landslides in the Southern Alps, New Zealand journal July 2004
Debris dams and the relief of headwater streams journal December 2006
Fluvial response to large rock-slope failures: Examples from the Himalayas, the Tien Shan, and the Southern Alps in New Zealand journal August 2006
Automated landslide mapping using spectral analysis and high-resolution topographic data: Puget Sound lowlands, Washington, and Portland Hills, Oregon journal August 2009
Evidence for earthquake triggering of large landslides in coastal Oregon, USA journal March 2012
After the lava flow: The importance of external soil sources for plant colonization of recent lava flows in the central Oregon Cascades, USA journal November 2013
Classification of the alterations of beaver dams to headwater streams in northeastern Connecticut, U.S.A. journal January 2014
Beyond the angle of repose: A review and synthesis of landslide processes in response to rapid uplift, Eel River, Northern California journal May 2015
Bridging the gaps: An overview of wood across time and space in diverse rivers journal February 2017
A morphologic proxy for debris flow erosion with application to the earthquake deformation cycle, Cascadia Subduction Zone, USA journal April 2017
The Influence of Calibration Curve Construction and Composition on the Accuracy and Precision of Radiocarbon Wiggle-Matching of Tree Rings, Illustrated by Southern Hemisphere Atmospheric Data Sets from AD 1500–1950 journal May 2019
Radiocarbon Calibration and Analysis of Stratigraphy: The OxCal Program journal January 1995
Estimation of Inbuilt Age in Radiocarbon Ages of Soil Charcoal for Fire History Studies journal January 2001
Bayesian Analysis of Radiocarbon Dates journal January 2009
Slope failures within and upstream of Lake Quinault, Washington, as uneven responses to Holocene earthquakes along the Cascadia subduction zone journal November 2017
Valley incision by debris flows: Evidence of a topographic signature: VALLEY INCISION BY DEBRIS FLOWS journal April 2003
Flooding on California's Russian River: Role of atmospheric rivers journal January 2006
A reevaluation of the Pallett Creek earthquake chronology based on new AMS radiocarbon dates, San Andreas fault, California journal January 2011
Predictability of Extreme Precipitation in Western U.S. Watersheds Based on Atmospheric River Occurrence, Intensity, and Duration journal November 2018
Earthquake‐Induced Chains of Geologic Hazards: Patterns, Mechanisms, and Impacts journal June 2019
Spatial Patterns of Storm‐Induced Landslides and Their Relation to Rainfall Anomaly Maps journal October 2019
Tree-ring dating the 1700 Cascadia earthquake journal October 1997
Landslide-dammed paleolake perturbs marine sedimentation and drives genetic change in anadromous fish journal November 2011
Deep-Seated Landslides Drive Variability in Valley Width and Increase Connectivity of Salmon Habitat in the Oregon Coast Range journal October 2018
Long-term growth-increment chronologies reveal diverse influences of climate forcing on freshwater and forest biota in the Pacific Northwest journal November 2014
Debris Flows Through Different Forest age Classes in the Central Oregon Coast Range journal August 2002
Rainfall triggers more deep-seated landslides than Cascadia earthquakes in the Oregon Coast Range, USA journal September 2020
Prehistoric Rock Avalanches in the Olympic Mountains, Washington journal December 1992
Landslides caused by earthquakes journal January 1984
The formation and failure of natural dams journal July 1988
Quaternary upper plate deformation in coastal Oregon journal July 1996
Geomorphic and paleoclimatic implications of latest Pleistocene radiocarbon dates from colluvium-mantled hollows, California journal January 1986
Sediment flux from a mountain belt derived by landslide mapping journal January 1997
Forest clearing and regional landsliding journal January 2000
Sediment and rock strength controls on river incision into bedrock journal January 2001
Debris flows as agents of morphological heterogeneity at low-order confluences, Olympic Mountains, Washington journal January 2003
Characterizing structural and lithologic controls on deep-seated landsliding: Implications for topographic relief and landscape evolution in the Oregon Coast Range, USA journal January 2005
The influence of large landslides on river incision in a transient landscape: Eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau (Sichuan, China) journal November 2007
Geologic and physiographic controls on bed-material yield, transport, and channel morphology for alluvial and bedrock rivers, western Oregon journal January 2014
Late Quaternary climatic controls on erosion rates and geomorphic processes in western Oregon, USA journal January 2017
Sediment storage and evacuation in headwater valleys at the transition between debris-flow and fluvial processes journal January 2007
Controls on valley width in mountainous landscapes: The role of landsliding and implications for salmonid habitat journal April 2013
Transient changes of landslide rates after earthquakes journal August 2015
Surface roughness dating of long-runout landslides near Oso, Washington (USA), reveals persistent postglacial hillslope instability journal December 2015
Tectonic evolution of the Tualatin basin, northwest Oregon, as revealed by inversion of gravity data journal April 2014
Geologic history of Siletzia, a large igneous province in the Oregon and Washington Coast Range: Correlation to the geomagnetic polarity time scale and implications for a long-lived Yellowstone hotspot journal August 2014
The variability of root cohesion as an influence on shallow landslide susceptibility in the Oregon Coast Range journal October 2001
Flood in the Willamette Valley in February and March, 1910 journal March 1910
Diagnosis of an Intense Atmospheric River Impacting the Pacific Northwest: Storm Summary and Offshore Vertical Structure Observed with COSMIC Satellite Retrievals journal November 2008
Rain-on-Snow Events in the Western United States journal March 2007
A Scale to Characterize the Strength and Impacts of Atmospheric Rivers journal February 2019
A 22-Year Climatology of Cool Season Hourly Precipitation Thresholds Conducive to Shallow Landslides in California journal July 2018
Empirical Return Periods of the Most Intense Vapor Transports during Historical Atmospheric River Landfalls on the U.S. West Coast journal August 2018
Landslides in Eastern Honshu Induced by the 2011 Tohoku Earthquake journal May 2013
Landslides Triggered by the 14 November 2016 Mw 7.8 Kaikōura Earthquake, New Zealand journal March 2018
Broadband Synthetic Seismograms for Magnitude 9 Earthquakes on the Cascadia Megathrust Based on 3D Simulations and Stochastic Synthetics, Part 2: Rupture Parameters and Variability journal August 2018
Broadband Synthetic Seismograms for Magnitude 9 Earthquakes on the Cascadia Megathrust Based on 3D Simulations and Stochastic Synthetics, Part 1: Methodology and Overall Results journal August 2018
New Insights into Paleoseismic Age Models on the Northern San Andreas Fault: Charcoal Inbuilt Ages and Updated Earthquake Correlations journal May 2020
Importance of Organic Debris Dams in the Structure and Function of Stream Ecosystems journal October 1980
Erosional response to northward-propagating crustal thickening in the coastal ranges of the U.S. Pacific Northwest journal October 2013
Slope Distributions, Threshold Hillslopes, and Steady-state Topography journal April 2001
Seismic and geologic controls on spatial clustering of landslides in three large earthquakes journal January 2019
River channel width controls blocking by slow-moving landslides in California's Franciscan mélange journal January 2019
Are great Cascadia earthquakes recorded in the sedimentary records from small forearc lakes? journal January 2013
Assessment methodology for the prediction of landslide dam hazard journal January 2014
Simple rules to minimise exposure to coseismic landslide hazard journal January 2019

Similar Records

The age and potential causes of the giant Green Lake Landslide, Fiordland, New Zealand
Journal Article · Mon May 08 00:00:00 EDT 2023 · Landslides · OSTI ID:1972892

Landslides and other mass movements near TA-33, northern White Rock Canyon, New Mexico. Final report
Technical Report · Wed Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 1993 · OSTI ID:10175280

Related Subjects