A REGIONAL LANDSLIDE INVENTORY FOR SOUTHWESTERN PENNSYLVANIA

by: Daniel Bain, Eitan Shelef, and Anthony Iannacchione

Landslides are a major disruption to road networks and infrastructure in Southwestern Pennsylvania. A combination of rugged topography, clay-rich bedrock, complicated hydrogeology, and changing local climate results in numerous landslides across the region, particularly in areas where humans have modified the landscape. However, documentation of the spatial and temporal patterns of these landslides is spread across a wide range of government agencies and historical sources. This limits comprehensive planning efforts to address ongoing damage and mitigate potential future landslides. This project has inventoried over 7400 landslides from twelve agencies and/or data sources in a systematic and standardized format. Landslide events, once cataloged, were attributed with an extensive list of parameters summarizing topography, geology, soils, recent weather history, and local mining history.  This data framework, in conjunction with parallel and complimentary efforts, is a strong foundation for increasingly data driven approaches to landslide mitigation and management in the region.