8 National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Summary and Categorization of Documented Geologic Hazards of the National Park System Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/GRD/NRR—2014/813 ON THIS PAGE Dump truck crushed by rockfall at Zion National Park, Utah, on November 23, 1947. NPS Photo. ON THE COVER Top left: Slope failure closes section of the road at Blue Ridge Parkway, North Carolina, July 2013. NPS Photo: John Otten Top right: Aerial imagery of landslide at Denali National Park & Preserve, Alaska, Oct. 2013. NPS Photo: Rob Burrows Bottom left: Rockfall impact in Mount Rainer National Park, Washington, May 2014. NPS Photo: Scott Beason Bottom right: Old Fall River Road landslide, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, Sept. 2013. NPS Photo: Kirsten Hardin Summary and Categorization of Documented Geologic Hazards of the National Park System Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/GRD/NRR—2014/813 Elizabeth M. Schaller School of Earth Science and Environmental Sustainability – Northern Arizona University Flagstaff, AZ 86001 Vincent L. Santucci National Park Service – Geologic Resources Division Washington, DC 20005 Sara B. Newman National Park Service – Public Risk Management Program, Office of Risk Management Washington, DC 20005 Timothy B. Connors National Park Service – Geologic Resources Division Denver, CO 80225 Eric L. Bilderback National Park Service – Geologic Resources Division Denver, CO 80225 May 2014 U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service Natural Resource Stewardship and Science Fort Collins, Colorado The National Park Service, Natural Resource Stewardship and Science office in Fort Collins, Colorado, publishes a range of reports that address natural resource topics. These reports are of interest and applicability to a broad audience in the National Park Service and others in natural resource management, including scientists, conservation and environmental constituencies, and the public. The Natural Resource Report Series is used to disseminate high-priority, current natural resource management information with managerial application. The series targets a general, diverse audience, and may contain NPS policy considerations or address sensitive issues of management applicability. All manuscripts in the series receive the appropriate level of peer review to ensure that the information is scientifically credible, technically accurate, appropriately written for the intended audience, and designed and published in a professional manner. Data in this report were collected and analyzed using methods based on established, peer-reviewed protocols and were analyzed and interpreted within the guidelines of the protocols. Views, statements, findings, conclusions, recommendations, and data in this report do not necessarily reflect views and policies of the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior. Mention of trade names or commercial products does not constitute endorsement or recommendation for use by the U.S. Government. This report is available in digital format from the Geologic Resources Division (http://nature.nps.gov/geology/) and the Natural Resource Publications Management website (http://www.nature.nps.gov/publications/nrpm/). To receive this report in a format optimized for screen readers, please email [email protected]. Please cite this publication as: Schaller, E. M., V. L. Santucci, S. B. Newman, T. B. Connors, and E. L. Bilderback. 2014. Summary and categorization of documented geologic hazards of the National Park System. Natural Resource Report NPS/NRSS/GRD/NRR—2014/813. National Park Service, Fort Collins, Colorado. NPS 999/124711, May 2014 ii Contents Page Figures.................................................................................................................................................... v Tables ..................................................................................................................................................... v Appendices ............................................................................................................................................. v Attachments ........................................................................................................................................... v Executive Summary ............................................................................................................................. vii Acknowledgments ................................................................................................................................. ix 1 - Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 1 1.1 - Background ............................................................................................................................ 1 1.2 – Problem Statement................................................................................................................. 1 1.3 - Project Description ................................................................................................................. 2 2 - Methods ............................................................................................................................................ 3 2.1 - Geologic Hazard Categories .................................................................................................. 3 2.1.1 – Avalanche ...................................................................................................................... 3 2.1.2 - Cave/Karst ...................................................................................................................... 3 2.1.3 - Coastal/Shoreline ........................................................................................................... 3 2.1.4 – Flooding ......................................................................................................................... 3 2.1.5 – Geothermal .................................................................................................................... 4 2.1.6 – Glacial............................................................................................................................ 4 2.1.7 – Mass Wasting ................................................................................................................ 4 2.1.8 – Rockfall ......................................................................................................................... 4 2.1.9 – Seismic .......................................................................................................................... 4 2.1.10 – Volcanic ....................................................................................................................... 4 2.2 – Hazard Data Collection ......................................................................................................... 5 2.3 - Park-Specific Geologic Hazard Reports ................................................................................ 6 3 - Results .............................................................................................................................................. 7 iii Contents (continued) Page 3.1 – Servicewide Hazard Types, Frequency, and Locations ......................................................... 7 3.2 - Impacts to Park Facilities, People, and Cultural Resources ................................................... 7 3.2.1 - Facility Damages ............................................................................................................ 8 3.2.2 – Geologic Hazards and Injury to People ......................................................................... 9 3.2.3 – Geologic Hazard Impacts on Cultural Resources .......................................................... 9 3.3 - Park Hazard Reports ............................................................................................................ 10 4 - Conclusions and Next Steps ........................................................................................................... 11 References ............................................................................................................................................ 13 iv Figures Page Figure 1. Chart showing the frequency of the different geologic hazards reported in the NPS from 1927 to October 2013 ........................................................................................................... 8 Figure 2. Graph showing number of incidents affecting people by year ............................................... 9 Tables Page Table 1. Incidents Affecting Facilities ................................................................................................... 8 Table 2. Incidents Affecting People ....................................................................................................... 9 Table 3. Incidents Affecting Cultural Resources ................................................................................. 10 Appendices Page Appendix A - List of Geologic Hazards at Each Park ......................................................................... 19 Appendix B - GWMP Geologic Hazard Report .................................................................................. 29 Appendix C - WACA Geologic Hazard Report ................................................................................... 33 Attachments Spreadsheet