Tag: landslide

New Geologic Hazards Clearinghouse Plan Released on Anniversary of the 2001 Nisqually Earthquake

Anniversary of the 2001 Nisqually Earthquake 23 years ago today, the magnitude 6.8 Nisqually earthquake shook the Pacific Northwest. People in Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia experienced shaking that in some places lasted over a minute. The earthquake caused as much as $1–4 billion in property damage, and provided a stark reminder that Washington State […]

Updated Landslide Inventory of the Columbia River Gorge Published!

We are pleased to announce the release of a new publication: Landslide inventory update of the Columbia River Gorge in Clark, Skamania, and Klickitat Counties, Washington. The publication consists of a pamphlet summarizing key results and describing the methods used. This publication builds on a 2018 inventory of the Columbia Gorge by mapping additional landslide hazard areas such […]

A new look and new features for our Recently Reported Landslides map

Are you curious whether there have been any landslides near you recently? Now you can find out on our new and improved Recently Reported Landslides map! The interactive map shows recent landslides compiled by the Washington Geological Survey based on reports from media sources and government agencies. The compilation is updated regularly throughout the year […]

More new lidar images of Washington’s landforms!

The Washington Geological Survey has just added 10 new lidar-derived images of the State’s landforms to our image collection. This new set includes landscapes shaped by glaciers, ice-age floods, rivers, and landslides. For more information, check out the image descriptions below and use the associated links to view and download high-resolution versions of each one. […]

New Washington lidar data and screensaver images!

New lidar data The Washington Geological Survey (WGS) has just released new lidar data for several areas in Washington. Since 2016 we have been involved in collecting over 6,400 square miles of lidar and have added many additional lidar datasets from our partners for public use. Lidar is a technology that uses light pulses to collect elevation […]

Statewide Protocol for Landslide Mapping from Lidar Data Released

The Washington Geological Survey is pleased to announce a new publication that explains the detailed protocol that Survey geologists are using to systematically map landslides using lidar. This protocol closely follows the methods used by Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries to map landslides in Oregon. The objective of the protocol is to establish standardized methods for […]

New guide helps homeowners identify landslide hazards

The Washington Geological Survey, in partnership with the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral industries, has published a Homeowners’ Guide to Landslides. It is available on the Washington Geological Survey’s webpage at for download. Landslides do not have to be large-scale events to cause lots of damage. When homes or infrastructure are built on landslides […]

Landslides and Landforms Database and Portal Update

The Landslides and Landforms database has been updated in order to fix some attribution issues and its appearance on the Geology Portal  has been given a minor make-over. Updated Citation: Washington Division of Geology and Earth Resources, 2016, Landslides and landforms–GIS data, July 2016: Washington Division of Geology and Earth Resources Digital Data Series 12, […]

Landslide Hazard Geologists at Work

Last month, landslide hazard geologists from the DNR Division of Geology and Earth Resources (DGER) attended a landslide conference hosted by the U.S. Geologic Survey (USGS) and Indonesian Center for Volcanic and Geologic Hazard Mapping at the Cascades Volcano Observatory in Vancouver, Washington. To promote greater cooperation among state and federal agencies, and reduce potential landslide losses, the […]