Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Landslides impacting linear infrastructure in west central British Columbia

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Natural Hazards Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Destructive landslides are common in west central British Columbia. Landslides include debris flows and slides, earth flows and flowslides, rock falls, slides, and avalanches, and complex landslides involving both rock and soil. Pipelines, hydrotransmission lines, roads, and railways have all been impacted by these landslides, disrupting service to communities. We provide examples of the destructive landslides, their impacts, and the climatic conditions associated with the failures. We also consider future landsliding potential for west central British Columbia under climate change scenarios.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Blais-Stevens A, Geertsema M, Schwab JW, van Asch Th, Egginton VN (2007) The 2005 Sutherland River rock slide–debris avalanche, central British Columbia. In: 1st International landslide conference, Vail

  • Boultbee N, Stead D, Schwab JW, Geertsema M (2006) The Zymoetz River rock avalanche, June 2002, British Columbia, Canada. Eng Geol 83:76–93

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Clague JJ (1978) Terrain hazards in the Skeena and Kitimat River basins, British Columbia. Geological Survey of Canada Paper 78-1A, pp 183–188

  • Clague JJ (1984) Quaternary geology and geomorphology, Smithers-Terrace-Prince Rupert area, British Columbia. Geological Survey of Canada, Memoir 413, 71 pp

  • Cruden DM, Varnes DJ (1996) Landslide types and processes. In: Turner AK, Schuster RL (eds) Special report 247: landslides investigation, mitigation. National Research Council, Transportation Research Board, Washington D.C., pp 36–75

    Google Scholar 

  • Duffel S, Souther JG (1964) Geology of the Terrace map-area, British Columbia (103 I E 1/2). Geological Survey of Canada, Memoir 329

  • Egginton VN (2005) Historical climate variability from the instrumental record in northern British Columbia and its influence on slope stability. M.Sc. thesis, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, 130 pp

  • Eng M, Fall A, Hughes J, Shore T, Riel B, Hall P, Walton A (2005) Provincial level projection of the current mountain pine beetle outbreak: an overview of the model (BCMPB v2) and results of year 2 of the project. Ministry of Forests Report, 51 pp

  • Evans SG, Clague JJ (1994) Recent climatic change and catastrophic geomorphic processes in mountain environments. Geomorphology 10:107–128

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Geertsema M, Cruden DM (2008) Travels in the Canadian Cordillera. In: Locat J, Perret D, Turmel D, Demers D, Leroueil S (eds) Proceedings of 4th Canadian conference on geohazards, Quebec City, pp 383–390

  • Geertsema M, Schwab JW (1997) Retrogressive flowslides in the Terrace-Kitimat, British Columbia area: from early post-deglaciation to present and implications for future slides. In: Proceedings of 11th Vancouver geotechnical society symposium, Vancouver, pp 115–133

  • Geertsema M, Torrance JK (2005) Quick clay from the Mink Creek landslide near Terrace, British Columbia: geotechnical properties, mineralogy, and geochemistry. Can Geotech J 42:907–918

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Geertsema M, Clague JJ, Schwab JW, Evans SG (2006a) An overview of recent large catastrophic landslides in northern British Columbia, Canada. Eng Geol 83:120–143

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Geertsema M, Cruden DM, Schwab JW (2006b) A large rapid landslide in sensitive glaciomarine sediments at Mink Creek, northwestern, British Columbia, Canada. Eng Geol 83:36–63

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harris C, Davies MCR, Etzelmüller B (2001) The assessment of potential geotechnical hazards associated with mountain permafrost in a warming global climate. Permafr Periglac Process 12:145–156

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holland SS (1976) Landforms of British Columbia. British Columbia Department of Mines and Petroleum Resources, Bulletin 48, 138 pp

  • Holm K, Bovis MJ, Jakob M (2004) The landslide response of alpine basins to post-Little Ice Age glacial thinning and retreat in southwestern British Columbia. Geomorphology 57:201–216

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hungr O, Evans SG, Bovis MJ, Hutchinson JN (2001) Review of the classification of landslides of the flow type. Environ Eng Geosci 7:221–238

    Google Scholar 

  • Jakob M, Holm K, Lange O, Schwab JW (2006) Hydrometeorological thresholds for landslide initiation and forest operation shutdowns on the north coast of British Columbia. Landslides 3. doi:10.1007/s10346-006-0044-1

  • Mathews WH (1986) Physiographic map of the Canadian Cordillera. Geological Survey of Canada, Map 1701A

  • McDougal S, Boultbee N, Hungr O, Stead D, Schwab JW (2006) The Zymoetz River landslide, British Columbia, Canada: description and dynamic analysis of a rock slide–debris flow. Landslides 3:195–204

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Meidinger DV, Pojar JJ (1991) Ecosystems of British Columbia. B.C. Ministry of Forests Special Report Series, no. 6, 330 pp

  • Schwab JW (2002) Dendrochronology of debris flows on British Columbia north coast districts. In: Jordan P, Orban J (eds) Terrain stability and forest management in the interior of British Columbia: workshop proceeding May 23–25, 2001. Nelson British Columbia Canada. Research Branch, British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Victoria, B.C. Technical Report 003, p 217

  • Schwab JW, Kirk M (2003) Sackungen on a forested slope, Kitnayakwa River. British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Prince Rupert Forest Region. Extension Note 47, 6 pp

  • Schwab JW, Geertsema M, Evans, SG (2003) Catastrophic rock avalanches, west-central B.C., Canada. In: 3rd Canadian conference on geotechnique and natural hazards, Edmonton, AB, pp 252–259

  • Schwab JW, Blais-Stevens A, Geertsema M (2004a) The Khyex River flowslide, a recent landslide near Prince Rupert, British Columbia. In: 57th Canadian geotechnical conference, Quebec City, 1C, pp 14–21

  • Schwab JW, Blais-Stevens A, Geertsema M (2004b) The Khyex River landslide of November 28, 2003, Prince Rupert British Columbia, Canada. Landslides 1:243–246

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Septer D, Schwab JW (1995) Rainstorm and flood damage: Northwest British Columbia 1891–1991. B.C. Ministry of Forests, B.C. Land Management Report 31, 196 pp

  • Wilford DJ, Sakals ME, Innes JL (2003) Forestry on fans; a problem analysis. For Chron 79:291–296

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

Dr. Theo van Asch and Dr. Brent Ward provided helpful reviews that improved our manuscript. Earlier comments from Frank Maximchuck, Gord Hunter, and Jonathan Fannin are also much appreciated.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Northern Interior Forest Region, BC Forest Service, 1011, 4th Avenue, Prince George, BC, Canada, V2L 3H9

    M. Geertsema

  2. Northern Interior Forest Region, BC Forest Service, Smithers, BC, Canada, V0J 2N0

    J. W. Schwab & M. E. Sakals

  3. Geological Survey of Canada, 601 Booth Street, Ottawa, ON, Canada, K1A 0E8

    A. Blais-Stevens

Authors
  1. M. Geertsema
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. J. W. Schwab
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. A. Blais-Stevens
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. M. E. Sakals
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to M. Geertsema.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Geertsema, M., Schwab, J.W., Blais-Stevens, A. et al. Landslides impacting linear infrastructure in west central British Columbia. Nat Hazards 48, 59–72 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-008-9248-0

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-008-9248-0

Keywords

Search

Navigation