January 2002
The San Francisco Bay Area experienced a very wet December last year. The seasonal rainfall was 15.9 inches - nearly 150% of normal. The winter rains brought the usual rounds of flooding - and landslides. This month, Earth Science in the News looks into landslides, using an article from the SF Chronicle which describes a recent rockslide in the city of San Francisco.
Rockslide fears hang over condo owners
In addition to being associated with rainfall, landslides may also be activated by earthquakes and volcanoes. Most of the best Web sites on landslides are from the USGS. Unfortunately, we did not find many classroom activities related to landslides.
Related Web Sites
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USGS Learning Web - Landslides:
This Web site provides a friendly guide to USGS information on landslides. It includes links to the
National Landslide Hazards Program,
the National Landslide Information Center, and
images of landslides.
My favorite link is the
animated map
showing the distribution of earthquake, volcanic, landslides,
flooding, hurricane, and tornado hazards in the continental US.
-
Potential San Francisco Bay Landslides:
This Web site is an introduction to the landslide maps developed by the USGS for the Bay Area. It includes some
nice movies/animations of landslides. The USGS has a general Web site on
California Landslide Hazards.
-
Monitoring of Active Landslides:
The USGS is actively monitoring several landslides, including one along Highway 50 in California.
Real-time data are posted to this web site.
-
When Land Slides:
This Web site reports on new technologies being used to monitor landslides.
- Forces of Nature: Landslides: A comprehensive presentation on landslides, as one of several "Forces of Nature", presented by ThinkQuest. It includes background information (including a glossary), stories about specific landslides, and other features. A great deal of information, but mostly of the point-and-click variety.
Related Classroom Activities and Discussion Topics
-
Landslides!:
This DiscoverySchool.com site features an activity directed toward grades 6-8. Students
"create" a landslide, testing different materials. A related Web site focuses on
avalanches,
which provides an interesting point of comparision with landslides.
-
Land Use Planning:
This AGI Web site introduces the general question of land use
planning and features several activities. It is directed toward high-school students. AGI
also has a module on soils for middle-school
students.
- Science News Write-Up: Write a report on one of these articles for your class! Here is a suggested outline to help you organize the report.
News Archive
- Earth Science News Archive: We are building an archive of these news features. Feel free to browse earlier articles and resources!