MASS MOVEMENT AND STORMS IN THE DRAINAGE BASIN OF REDWOOD CREEK, HUMBOLDT COUNTY, CALIFORNIA-- A PROGRESS REPORT . By Deborah R. Harden, Richard J. Janda, and K. Michael Nolan U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY Opan-File Report 78-486 Prepared in cooperation with the National Park Service Menlo Park, California 1978 CONTENTS Page AuSt IT act " - ______ _ ___ __ ______ _______________ j_ "Tj^j *-» 4-^ V-JLUUm /-* /-I 1 T f~l 4-LJLUL1 -J f-V »-*________« _______.____ ____ ___________«.______ __ »____ .___(___« -»__ (M -- * « ____ (M ______! <_____ b__ ___« ______________________ ________(M____________ ______ ____ M~ ____!__ _______nw. MI____M.____ ____J__. jX Jr U rpo S e~-__ _ ____ _____ _»«_»_i_» _____ _ H_ __»___i_ _____ ___________ ____ £| Ac Know.!- s d gme n ts _ _ __ __ ____ ______ _______ _______ ^ .Basin description. ^-_ « _ __ _ _ i _________________ ._______^._ ^ Mass movement and fluvial erosion -^ 11 Mass movement processes 12 Hillslope fluvial erosion processes 14 Persistence of erosional processes 14 Distribution and age of mass movement features 15 fVoor*______._________V JL cC^J _____._______ «»_ _^___«« ~~ _________.______._______.__i_______-tii - -- - - - * _ *- j__1Q ^ Landslide occurrence related to hillslope steepness - ' 21 Geologic controls of mass movement distribution - 23 Other basic parameters influencing landslide distribution - - 26 Recent increases in erosion 30 Flood-producing storms in northwestern California 31 Recent flood-producing storms 32 Storm of January 16-20, 1953 40 Storm of December 15-23, 1955 - 42 Storm of December 18-24, 1964 45 Storm of January 19-24, 1972 49 Storm of Marcb 1-4, 1972 51 Storm of March 15-24, 1975 54 Inconsistent relation between storm intensity and erosion 57 Floods of the late 19th century 59 otorms ot J.oo_i _Loo^ __. __________ ____ __ ___ __.-_ D-L Storms of 1867, 1879, 1881, and 1888 66 Storm of 1890 67 Comparison of erosional impacts of 19th and 20th century floods 72 Recent history of landslicling along the channel of Redwood Creek 75 JL.IQ^A J -J\J IQA?___________JL. s ' I _______ ____ ________________ »- ^ ______________^ v/j.81 a-^/H/1QA7 1QSS JL.7-J*J JL.S1 Q70_____________________ I \J - ' ____ ». ». »» ,-«, _____________,___» «. M»*» »« M.M4 H. ____ Q9J £^ -*-.//"1 Q7A_________________ ____________ » » ____________________» ««»«»««^«« M» __* * Q^^ ^ Yearly trends 1970-1976 97 i^/v/JLJ//^,1Q7D 1Q7?________ ~" __ ______ - ___«__________________________ »Mi«« « Q7j t J.1Q79_1Q7' J I i, JL.7 / -J:{_____ __ __________________________ i _____ ___ _«__ ____ ___ ________._________:,_ _ *" QR-"J j_TQ7Q_lQ7A -y I J j^-y I i_f __________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________..___ _____ _ _ __ __ ,__ _ __^._ QQ-y -3 J,1Q7/,_1Q7 J I H JL ^/ / I =;_______' ~ " < ____________ __.__.____.__.____._____ * « ___ * <«. ___ _* _.*_____________»_»____ _._.._______.__..__ ___> »_ »« * "* -1.TOO W W j^iQ7c:_iQ7ft____.__ -y j _} _L 17 / \J ~" __.________*»_* _________^.___»-*_i_________»____ __,_____.____.___ ___ _ » ««__ _i_wa_101 Summary of recent streamside landsliding 101 Stake line surveys - 104 Description of monitoring sites 107 CONTENTS Page Xi __ __ _ ^ ___ __. __ _ _ ____ ,___ _____ ____ ___ .____ _ _»___ XWin? / 9 - __ ~* _. _____. *-. __» __' . ____ - *-___ ___' . ___ _ " ___"i .-. ! ..__ IIIII.BII___ __ _ __ X1 V_/HQ -7 X* CU.1U.otl /"? H/. _ _- - ^"^ , _ - .-- - - _ ___ ____ _ ____» __ 7-.-./ _ ___ _ _____ "^ _____ ~ _ __ ____ .__ «___ _ _ _«.____ . _ . _______ _ ___ __________ ______ X1 X1 Q*/ Qi'f-oO X L. C fiU ___ __________»________ ,________ . __ . _________ ________________. _« ___ _________1IMII____ «.lll__ «..!! ________III. II M. __ __________ __ X^-X191 oxLi-e-it-s* Qy ________ _ _______ ~ . _ __ ____ ____________________»____ ___ ___ ________ ______ . _ _ ±.£.£.199 OXL-vc-i 4-0 XWin __ ___ __ __ ____ _ _ __ _ ___ ___ _ _ _ ___ ____ Xi.^'1 9 R Installation of stake lines and surveying procedures 125 Surveying results 130 Activity during 1973-1974 131 Activity during 1974-1975 132 Activity during 1975-1976 138 Implications of field measurements 139 wQJTlC _L U.SIOTIS" " 1" "^ "- _ . fc.. «.«« .. «-«- ,«- , «- . «-« »-. « «- JL^I O ii ILLUSTRATIONS Page Plate 1. Downslope displacement of stake arrays at nine areas of active mass movement in the Redwood Creek Dasin z sneets * in pocK.et FIGURES Figure 1. Location map of the Redwood Creek basin 8 2. Photograph showing the interactions between streamside landslides and the stream channel in upper Lacks r-ri^oV________\_» JL l_, C IN. ___ ______________________« 28*_ ^j 3. Photograph showing failure of old logging road adjacent to Redwood Creek along the present Bridge Creek Trail in Redwood National Park 28 4. Location map showing rain gages and stream gaging stations used in data compilation for storm maps 35 5. Precipitation and runoff during the flood-producing storm of 1953 in northwestern California 41 6. Precipitation and runoff during the flood-producing storm of 1955 in northwestern California 43 7. Precipitation and runoff during the flood-producing storm of 1964 in northwestern California 47 8. Precipitation and runoff during the storm period of December 18-30, 1964 in northwestern California 48 9. Precipitation and runoff during the flood-producing storm of January, 1972 in northwestern California 50 10. Precipitation and runoff during the flood-producing storm of March, 1972 in northwestern California 52 11. Precipitation and runoff during the flood-producing storm of 1975 in northwestern California 55 12. Precipitation during the flood-producing storm of 1890 in northwestern California 68 13. History of streamside landsliding adjacent to Redwood Creek based on interpretation of aerial photographs 79 14. Landslide history adjacent to Redwood Creek between Roddiscroft Road and Snow Camp Creek 82 15. Landslide history adjacent to Redwood Creek between Snow Camp Creek and State Highway 299 82 16. Landslide history adjacent to Redwood Creek between State Highway 299 and Lacks Creek 83 17. Landslide history adjacent to Redwood Creek between Lacks Creek and Panther Creek 83 18. Landslide history adjacent to Redwood Creek between Panther Creek and the Southern Park Boundary 83 iii FIGURES Page Figure 19. Landslide history adjacent to Redwood Creek between the Southern Park Boundary and Prairie Creek 83 20. Sketch maps- of a portion of the upper Redwood Creek channel traced from 1958, 1962, 1966, and 1974 aerial photographs 87 21. Mass movement monitoring sites and selected raingages in the Redwood Creek basin 106 22. Aerial photograph showing mass movement monitoring site 1, Poison Oak Prairie 108 23. Aerial photograph showing mass movement monitoring site 2, Minor Creek earthflow 24. Sketch map of features on Minor Creek earthflow HI 25. Aerial photograph showing mass movement monitoring site 3, Rain Gage earthflow H3 26. Aerial photograph showing mass movement monitoring site 4, Devils Creek earthflow 113 27. Aerial photograph showing mass movement monitoring site 5, Quarter Section slide 116 28. Aerial photograph showing mass movement monitoring site 6, M-7-5 slope 118 29. Aerial photograph showing mass movement monitoring site 7, Counts Hill Prairie 120 30. Mass movement monitoring site 8 123 31. Aerial photograph showing mass movement monitoring site 9, Elbow slide 124 32. Aerial photograph showing mass movement monitoring site 10, Berry Glen slide 126 33. Gully at the northern margin of monitoring site 4 135 34. Shallow slope failures initiated during March, oot-r.T-m_____._. U. \J J- ill i ......_ _ ___ _ _________ « «-«-«-___________.___-______ _ _~ " -*-135 -^-^ iv TABLES Page Table 1. Abundance of erosional landforms in the Redwood Creek basin as shown by Nolan, Harden, and Dominant category of hillslope gradient at sites of active mass movement 22 Steepest hillslope category at sites of active TOlllcioCD O O O -mi~,1Tt~*-mUKJ VtUUcll *-* »-% L»- . - - , M __-___. _ _- . _ _ ____ - _____ . _ . £.£.JJ Instantaneous peak discharges on Redwood Creek near Blue Lake and at Orick during 3. G CGH. u Iua.T O3T H.LOOQS "*"* --^" j-m--"' " i~i"~'"~" - -mr - «. ._i_mnnT i __i ..---«.-«i __! «-.-« j j Precipitation gages used in data collection JL-p \Jf\ Jl.»< oC? i~L \J/^ T*1Ti1. Ill Tf\111 dO T^p t>C? MB b« ......*-« "" M.______ " " ____ - - ___ - ___ - ___ - . _. ___ - - _ . ___ - ___ . ___ . ____ . - - ___ - ___ . -j- ,-.-., -.--.. JQ U(^ U.S. Geological Survey stream gaging system used in data compilation for storm maps 38 Available aerial photograph coverage of the main channel of Redwood Creek 77 Summary of stake line surveys at mass movement monitoring sites 150 v MASS MOVEMENT AND STORMS IN THE DRAINAGE BASIN OF REDWOOD CREEK HUMBOLDT COUNTY, CALIFORNIA « A PROGRESS REPORT By Deborah R. Harden, Richard J. Janda, and K. Michael Nolan ABSTRACT Numerous active landslides are clearly significant contributors to high sediment loads in the Redwood Creek basin. Field and aerial- photograph inspections indicate that large mass-movement features, such as earthflows and massive streamside debris slides, occur primarily in terrain underlain by unmetamorphosed or slightly metamorphosed sedimentary rocks. These features cannot account for stream sediment derived from schist. Observed lithologic heterogeneity of stream sediment therefore suggests that large-scale mass movement is only one part of a complex suite of processes supplying sediment to streams in this basin. Other significant sediment contributors include various forms of fluvial erosion and small-scale discrete mass failures, particularly on oversteepened hillslopes adjacent to perennial streams. Photo-interpretive studies of landslide and timber-harvest history adjacent to Redwood Creek, together with analysis of regional precipitation and runoff records for six flood-producing storms between 1953 and 1975, indicate that loci and times of significant streamside landsliding are influenced by both local storm intensity and streamside logging.