April 11, 2003

The Utah Geological Survey announces three new landslide publications: Geologic evaluation and hazard potential of liquefaction-induced landslides along the Wasatch Front, Utah; Causes, characteristics, and implications of the 1998 Wasatch Front landslides, Utah; and The feasibility of collecting accurate landslide-loss data in Utah.

Geologic evaluation and hazard potential of liquefaction-induced landslides along the Wasatch Front, Utah, Special Study 104, describes the results of geologic investigations and hazard potential of 13 previously identified Late Pleistocene/Holocene liquefaction-induced landslides in the Wasatch Front. The study identifies three landslides that have had multiple failures and possibly recurrent landsliding within their boundaries and several others that likely were not liquefaction-induced. The study also indicates that some of these landslides could reactivate during a future large earthquake on the Wasatch fault.

Causes, characteristics, and implications of the 1998 Wasatch Front landslides, Utah, Special Study 105, examines the relation between long-term periods of increased precipitation in northern Utah, rising ground-water levels, and an increase in damaging landsliding in the late 1990s that to some extent continues to the present. Data on landslide movement, soil strength, and ground-water-level fluctuations as well as 10 case histories of damaging 1998 landslides may be of particular interest to consultants working on hillside development.

The feasibility of collecting accurate landslide-loss data in Utah, Open-File Report 410, summarizes the status of landslide-loss tracking by various state and local jurisdictions in Utah. In addition, the report compares sources of landslide-loss data and the feasibility of retrospective landslide-loss estimation using the 1983 Thistle landslide as a case history. The report contains landslide-loss estimates from recent damaging landslides, including the 2001 Heather Drive landslide in Layton.

All three of these publications are now available at the Natural Resources Map & Bookstore, located at 1594 West North Temple, Salt Lake City (801 -537-3320 or 1-888-UTAHMAP; mapstore.utah.gov). Special Study 104 is priced at $12.95, Special Study 105 is $8, and Open-File Report 410 is $5.75.