Landslide Occurrence in the Elk and Sixes River Basins, Southwest Oregon
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
AN ABSTRACT OF THE THESIS OF Margaret H. McHugh for the degree of Master of Science in Geology presented on December 10, 1986 Title: Landslide Occurrence in the Elk and SixesRiver Basins, Southwest Oregon Redacted for Privacy Abstract approved: Dr. Frederick J. Swanson Timber management of coastal watersheds insouthwest Oregon has been complicated by the need toprotect anadromous fish habitat from accelerated stream sedimentation resultingfrom management activity. The rugged terrain of the Elk and SixesRiver basins is underlain by the complex geological province of theKlamath Mountains, in which landslides are a common, natural, andimportant process of sediment production. A landslide investigation, using sequentialaerial photographs which covered a time period of 37years, was used to determine relationships between mass-wasting, geologictypes, and timber harvest practices. Averaged over all rock types, harvestedareas showed an increase in failure rate of 7 times, and roadedareas an increase of 48 times that of forested terrain. Terrane underlain by dioritic intrusions was the most sensitiveto road-related activity, with an increase in failure rate of up to 108 times that ofcomparable unmanaged land. The complexity of lithologies and deformational historyin the area strongly influence slope morphology, and produces characteristic soil types which experience predictable modes andrates of slope failure. Debris slides and torrents are the dominant formof mass-wasting in dioritic and Cretaceous sedimentaryterrane. Areas underlain by more clay-rich metamorphic bedrockare prone to slumps and planar streambank failures. Stream morphology is profoundly influenced byboth rock type and geologic structure. Within an area characterized bysteep, deeply incised streams, several persistent low-gradientreaches were delineated. These low-gradient stream reachesoccur where (1) large landslides have locally raised channel bedelevation and (2) valley-floor widening has occurred in shearedrocks along fault zones or in more readily eroded rock types upstream ofrock types resistant to fluvial erosion. Landslide Occurrence in the Elk and SixesRiver Basins, Southwest Oregon by Margaret H. McHugh A THESIS submitted to Oregon State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science Completed December 10, 1986 Commencement June 1987 APPROVED: Redacted for Privacy Professor of Geology incharge of major Redacted for Privacy Departm t r-....) Redacted for Privacy Dean of Gradua School 0 Date thesis is presented December 10, 1986 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I gratefully acknowledge the impetusand financial support given to me for this study by the USDA Forest Servicethrough the Siskiyou National Forest, from both the Supervisor'sOffice and the Powers Ranger District. Equipment and use of facilitieswere also generously provided by the Pacific Northwest ResearchStation, Westside Engineering Zone, and the State of OregonElk River Fish Hatchery. A special thanks is due Dr. FrederickSwanson, for encouragingme to continue his landslide investigationin the Elk and Sixes River basins. He has the ability to expand hisstudents' perspective without a loss of focus. I am grateful for his vision, faithand steadfast support. I am also grateful to my othercommittee members for their interest and editorialassistance; Drs. Robert Beschta, Allen Agnew, and Robert Phelps. For my partner in crimeon this project, Michelle McSwain, thank you for memories of two great summers in the field. I would also like to acknowledge the support and patienceof my wonderful children. My son, Ian Farquhar, especially deserves creditfor the hard work and protection he gave as my field assistant. Above all, I wish to thank my parents, Lawrence and Catherine McHugh, forgiving me a love of learning, and geology, anda confidence in my own abilities. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 1 STUDY AREA 3 Location and Access 3 Topography 3 Precipitation 3 Runoff and Streamflow 6 Geology 6 Vegetation 9 Management History 9 REVIEW OF GEOLOGIC LITERATURE 10 REGIONAL GEOLOGY 10 PREVIOUS MAPPING 10 TECTONIC SETTING 11 LITHOLOGY 14 Galice Formation (Late Jurassic) 14 Definition 14 Description 14 Age and correlation 15 Colebrooke Formation (Jurassic) 15 Definition 15 Description 15 Age and correlation 16 Mafic and Intrusive Rocks 16 Description 16 Age and correlation 17 Otter Point Formation (Latest Jurassic) 17 Definition 17 Description 18 Age and correlation 18 Humbug Mountain Conglomerate (EarlyCretaceous) 19 Definition 19 Description 19 Age and correlation 20 Rocky Point Formation (Early Cretaceous) 20 Definition 20 Description 21 Age and correlation 21 LANDSLIDE INVESTIGATION 22 GEOTECHNICAL REVIEW 22 Use of Aerial Photography for Landslide Investigation 22 Landslide Definitions 23 METHODS OF INVESTIGATION 25 Aerial Photography Investigation 25 Field Investigation 27 Survey of failures under forestcover 28 Hydrologic data 29 RESULTS 32 DATABASE COMPLIATION 32 Landslide Area to Volume Measurements 33 FAILURE RATES 36 Previous Studies 36 Failure Rate by Rock Type and Site Condition 38 Failure Rate by Rock Type, Site Condition and Time 40 Failure Response Time to ManagementActivity 44 Timing of Failure Response in TimberHarvest Units 44 Failure Rate by Landform Classification 46 Sedimentary terrane 48 Metamorphic terrane 48 Igneous intrusive terrane 51 Landslide Volume Estimates 51 Soil transfer rates 55 GEOMORPHOLOGY AND GEOLOGY 57 INFLUENCE OF STRUCTURE ON MASS WASTING 57 Debris Slides and Surface Ravel 57 INFLUENCE OF STRUCTURE ON STREAM MORPHOLOGY 60 Faults 61 Folds 61 EFFECT OF LITHOLOGY ON MASS WASTINGPROCESSES 62 Failure Types 62 Jurassic sedimentary terrane 62 Igneous intrusive terrane 66 Jurassic metamorphic terrane 67 Cretaceous sedimentary terrane 69 Humbug Mountain Conglomerate 70 Rocky Point Formation 70 Streambank failures 72 EFFECTS OF BEDROCK ON STREAM MORPHOLOGY 73 Channel Incision and Sinuosity 73 Channel Gradient 74 Failure Type and Sediment Delivery 75 Low-gradient Stream Reaches 77 Mainstem, Panther Creek 77 North Fork, Elk River 79 SUMMARY 81 LITERATURE CITED 85 OTHER REFERENCES 88 APPENDIX 89 LIST OF FIGURES Figure Page 1. Location map 4 2. Isohyetal map 5 3. Legend andgeologic map 7 4. Landslide inventory maps pocket 5. Flood recurrence intervals for events >850cms, 31 SouthFork Coquille River,Powers, OR: 1944-1980 6. Log plot of regression-developed equationsfor 35 area-to-volume relationships 7. Failure rate by geologic terrane. 39 8. Failure rate by time, rock type, and sitecondition. 42 9. Histories of management (clear-cut plusroads) and 45 failure rate by geologic terrane 10. Percent of failures which have occurred byyears 47 after harvest 11. Failure rate by landform classificationand site 49 condition; rates relative to unmanaged sites. 12. Volume of debris produced through timefrom land- 53 slides; classified by rock type and sitecondition. 13. Volume of landslide debris estimatedto have reached 54 streams third-order or greater; classified by rock type and site condition. 14. Structural overlay of Butler Creek ravelsites. 59 15. Sketch and description of Failure Type 1 63 16. Sketch and description of Failure Type 2 64 17. Sketch and description of FailureType 3 65 18. Low-gradient stream reaches andareas of high 78 salmonid production. A-1 Landslide photo-data sheet 91 A-2 Landslide field-data sheet 92 A-3 Landslide timing in clearcut units 96 A-4 Failure rate in sedimentaryterrane by landform 98 classification and site condition A-5 Failure rate in metamorphicterrane by landform 100 classification and site condition A-6 Failure rate in igneous intrusiveterrane by 102 landform classification and sitecondition A-7 Pi diagram of non-plunging, non-cylindrical fold 104 trending approximately N43E A-8 Beta diagram of joint intersectionmaxima 105 A-9 Beta diagrams of ravel chute lineations 106 LIST OF TABLES 1. Aerial photograph availability for the Elk 26 and Sixes River basins 2. Peak flows >850 cms, S. Fork CoquilleRiver, 30 Powers, OR: 1944-1980 3. Comparison between photo- and field-measured 34 relationships, from Amaranthus (1985) 4. Comparison of failure rates from studies inthe 37 Pacific Northwest 5. Failure rate by rock type and sitecondition 41 6. Failure rate for all rock types instudy area, 43 calculated for three time periods 7. Failure rate by landform classificationand site 50 condition; adjusted by percent of totalarea in landclass 8. Comparison of soil transfer rates in thePacific 56 Northwest, from Swanson (1981) A-1 Database: table of codes 89 A-2 Failure rate for sedimentaryterrane 93 A-3 Failure rate for metamorphicterrane 94 A-4 Failure rate for igneous intrusiveterrane 95 A-5 Chi-squared test for goodness-of-fit forfailure 97 frequency by landform classes A-6 Failure rates in sedimentaryterrane by landform 99 classification and site condition A-7 Failure rates in metamorphicterrane by landform 101 classification and site condition A-8 Failure rates in igneous intrusiveterrane by land- 103 form classification and site condition LANDSLIDE OCCURRENCE IN THE ELK AND SIXESRIVER BASINS, SOUTHWEST OREGON INTRODUCTION Landslides are a common and naturalcomponent of the erosional processes in the Klamath Mountains of southwestOregon. Debris slides are an important form of mass wasting in thearea and are a significant source of sedimentto steep drainages. The Elk and Sixes River basins are underlain bya complex geological terrane which has been tectonically active in therecent past. This has contributed to the development of high reliefand