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There are many types of landslides present in Wyoming. To properly describe landslide type, the Geologic Hazards Section at the Wyoming State Geological Survey developed a landslide classification modified from Varnes (1978) and Campbell (1985). As can be seen in the Figure, there are five basic types of landslides that occur in three types of material. Falls, topples, slides, lateral spreads, and flows can occur in bedrock, debris, or earth. While individual landslide types can occur in nature, most landslides are complex, or composed of combinations of basic types of landslides.
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Slides are characterized by shear displacement along one or several surfaces. Two general types of slides are recognized, rotational and translational. In a rotational slide, the surface of rupture is concave upward, and the mass rotates along the concave shear surface. Rotational slides are usually called slumps, and they can occur in bedrock, debris, or earth. In a translational slide, the surface of rupture is a planar or gently undulatory surface. In bedrock and earth, translational slides are usually called block slides if an intact mass slides down the slope. If rock fragments or debris slide down a slope on a distinct shear plane, the movements are called rock slides or debris slides. It is easy to see that confusion can result by applying the term "slide" to all types of landslides.
Lateral spreads are characterized by lateral extension movements in a fractured mass. Lateral spread movements may occur in bedrock and soil as a result of liquefaction or plastic flow of subjacent materials, or in bedrock without a well-defined basal shear surface or zone of plastic flow. Lateral spreads in bedrock without a well-defined zone of shearing or flow, usually occur on ridge crests.
In general, a flow is a moving mass that has differential internal movements that are distributed throughout the mass. While most flows occur in debris and earth, one type of flow, gravitational sagging, does occur in bedrock. Flows in debris and earth can be cohesive or non-cohesive. Both cohesive and non-cohesive flows are further subdivided by water content and material properties.
Cohesive flows in debris include soil creep, solifluction, block streams, talus flows, and rock glaciers. Soil creep is an imperceptibly slow deformation that continues under constant stress. Solifluction is a slow flow in soil that is often observed in areas with perennially or permanently frozen ground. Block streams are slow moving tongues of rocky debris on steep slopes, and are often fed by talus cones. Talus flows are slow flows that occur in the basal portions of talus slopes. Rock glaciers are not true landslides, but have been included in the classification scheme because they are mass movements composed of coarse debris. Interstitial ice between debris fragments plays a role in the movement of rock glaciers, which are similar in form to a true glacier.
Cohesive flows in earth include soil creep, solifluction, earth flows, and debris laden earth flows. Soil creep and solifluction in earth are similar to those in debris. Earth flows are very slow to rapid flows that have a distinct source area, a main flow track, and a lobate depositional area. Debris laden earth flows are flows that appear to be earth flows but are composed of debris. Standard classifications do not recognize debris laden earth flows, but many have been observed in Wyoming. Many of the landslides present in Wyoming have an earth flow component.
Non-cohesive flows in debris include rock fragment flows and debris flows. Rock fragment flows are extremely rapid flows composed of dry to moist rock debris. This type of flow can be initiated by a rock fall, by seismic activity, or by other processes. In some cases, it appears that rock debris has moved on a cushion of air, although other mechanisms may have dominated the process. Rock fragment flows can cause significant destruction in a short period of time. Debris flows are a slurry flow composed of debris and a significant amount of water. They are usually associated with unusually heavy precipitation or with rapid snowmelt. Debris flows commonly follow preexisting drainageways, and commonly form debris levees along their main flow track. Debris flows are a significant component of alluvial fans in mountainous areas, with the main debris flow deposit having a broad, fairly flat fan shape. Debris flows are very common in the mountainous areas of Wyoming.
Non-cohesive flows in earth include loess flows, dry sand flows, wet sand flows, rapid earth flows, and mud flows. Loess flows and dry sand flows are rapid to very rapid flows of dry material. Loess flows are usually initiated by seismic activity, and are a fluid suspension of silt in air. Fortunately, none have yet been identified in Wyoming. Dry sand flows usually occur along shorelines or in eolian deposits. In Wyoming, most dry sand flows are very small. Wet sand flows occur along river banks or shorelines composed of saturated clean sand. The destabilized sand usually flows into an adjacent body of water. Wet sand flows are not common in Wyoming. Rapid earth flows, also called a quick clay flows, are very rapid flows that involve the liquefaction of subjacent material and the entire slide mass. They usually initiate in sensitive materials, such as quick clay, and are not common in Wyoming. Mud flows are a slurry flow composed of earth and a significant amount of water. They differ from debris flows only in the size of their component materials.
Most landslides mapped in Wyoming are classified as being complex. For example, many landslides in the State are slump/earth flow complexes. That type of landslide is composed of a slump at its head, with the main body and deposit being an earth flow. Block slides often grade into rock slides, which can further grade into earth flows or debris laden earth flows. Such a movement would be classified as a block slide/rock slide/ flow complex.
Each landslide map shown at this site has landslides classified using the scheme above. Abbreviations for the landslides and landslide complexes are used on the maps. Each map has a list of abbreviations linked to it.
References Cited
Campbell, R.H., editor, 1985, Feasibility of a nationwide program for the identification and delineation of hazards from mud flows and other landslides: U.S. Geological Survey Open File Report 85-276, 58 p.
Varnes, D.J., 1978, Slope movement types and processes, in Schuster, R.L., and Krizek, R.J., editors, Landslide analysis and control: National Academy of Sciences, Transportation Research Board, Special Report 176, p. 11-33.