## Breadcrumb

-  Publications 
-  Articles 

#           Landslides triggered by Hurricane Maria: Assessment of an extreme event in Puerto Rico      

      February 6, 2019    

Hurricane Maria hit the island of Puerto Rico on 20 September 2017 and triggered more than 40,000 landslides in at least three-fourths of Puerto Rico’s 78 municipalities. The number of landslides that occurred during this event was two orders of magnitude greater than those reported from previous hurricanes. Landslide source areas were commonly limited to surficial soils but also extended into underlying saprolite and bedrock. Slope failures occurred before, during, and after flooding, and many transitioned into long runout debris flows. Steep slopes in hilly and mountainous regions were particularly impacted by landslides due to antecedent soil moisture levels that were 11%–13% higher than average and rainfall totals of at least 250 mm within a 48 h period. High landslide densities were especially widespread across some geologic formations (e.g., granodiorite of the Utuado batholith); however, bedrock geology alone did not determine the location and distribution of landslides caused by Hurricane Maria. While rainfall data collected during Hurricane Maria were inconsistent, satellite-based soil moisture data were correlated with the distribution of landslides. In the future, the use of soil moisture data could enable assessments of regional landslide susceptibility prior to hurricanes or extreme precipitation events.

## Citation Information

## Related Content

                  -              Science           
                  -              Connect           

link

April 26, 2019

####                 GeoMapping for Integrated Science              

Earthquake Hazards Program, Landslide Hazards Program, National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program, Earthquake Science Center, Geologic Hazards Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Big Sur Landslides

link

April 26, 2019

####   GeoMapping for Integrated Science

Learn More

#### Corina Cerovski-Darriau

##### USGS-USAID Landslide Hazards Advisor

Landslide Hazards Program

ccerovski-darriau@usgs.gov

#### William Schulz

##### Research Geologist

Landslide Hazards Program

wschulz@usgs.gov

303-273-8404

#### Jeffrey Coe

##### Research Geologist

Landslide Hazards Program

jcoe@usgs.gov

303-273-8606

#### Jason Kean

##### Research Hydrologist

Landslide Hazards Program

jwkean@usgs.gov

303-273-8608

#### Jonathan Godt

##### Landslide Hazards Program Coordinator

Natural Hazards Mission Area

jgodt@usgs.gov

303-273-8626

#### Matthew A Thomas

##### Research Hydrologist

Landslide Hazards Program

matthewthomas@usgs.gov

303-273-8588

## Related Content

link

April 26, 2019

####                 GeoMapping for Integrated Science              

Earthquake Hazards Program, Landslide Hazards Program, National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program, Earthquake Science Center, Geologic Hazards Science Center, Geology, Minerals, Energy, and Geophysics Science Center, Geosciences and Environmental Change Science Center, Pacific Coastal and Marine Science Center, Big Sur Landslides

link

April 26, 2019

####   GeoMapping for Integrated Science

Learn More

#### Corina Cerovski-Darriau

##### USGS-USAID Landslide Hazards Advisor

Landslide Hazards Program

ccerovski-darriau@usgs.gov

#### William Schulz

##### Research Geologist

Landslide Hazards Program

wschulz@usgs.gov

303-273-8404

#### Jeffrey Coe

##### Research Geologist

Landslide Hazards Program

jcoe@usgs.gov

303-273-8606

#### Jason Kean

##### Research Hydrologist

Landslide Hazards Program

jwkean@usgs.gov

303-273-8608

#### Jonathan Godt

##### Landslide Hazards Program Coordinator

Natural Hazards Mission Area

jgodt@usgs.gov

303-273-8626

#### Matthew A Thomas

##### Research Hydrologist

Landslide Hazards Program

matthewthomas@usgs.gov

303-273-8588

### Study Area

### Contact

#### Geologic Hazards Science Center

1711 Illinois St.Golden, CO80401United States

303-273-8500

### Explore Search

                  - Geology
                  - Maps and Mapping
                  - Natural Hazards
                  - Puerto Rico

View All **