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GSA Connects 2022 meeting in Denver, Colorado

Paper No. 7-8
Presentation Time: 10:15 AM

THE JUNE 28TH, 2022 CHAOS CANYON LANDSLIDE IN ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK, CO


MORRISS, Matthew, U.S. Geological Survey, Utah Water Science Center, 2329 W Orton Circle, West Valley City, UT 94119, BRENCHER, George, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, RICK, Brianna, Department of Geosciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80309, LEHMANN, Benjamin, The Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado Boulder, 4001 Discovery Drive, Boulder, CO 80303; Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309, CAMPFORTS, Benjamin, Department of Geological Sciences, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO 80309; The Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research, University of Colorado Boulder, 4001 Discovery Drive, Boulder, CO 80303 and HANDWERGER, Alexander, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, 4800 Oak Grove Drive, Pasadena, CA 91109; Joint Institute for Regional Earth System Science and Engineering, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, 90095

The Chaos Canyon landslide which took place on the afternoon of June 28th, 2022 in Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) presents an exciting opportunity to evaluate instabilities within alpine regions experiencing ever increasing warming temperatures and dynamic climate. Video documentation of this landslide was captured by several eyewitnesses and motivated a rapid field campaign by regional Earth Scientists. Initial estimates put the failure area at ~66,630 m2, ranging in elevation from 3450 to 3660 m above sea level. We undertook a rapid, multi-pronged investigation of volumes of material involved; potential presence of interstitial ice/snow within the failed deposit which may contributed to the destabilization, and potential climatological forcings at work in causing the destabilization. Material volumes were estimated using Structure from Motion (SfM) models incorporating photographs from two field expeditions on July 8th, 2022 – 10 days after the slide. Satellite InSAR measurements from the Copernicus Sentinel-1 satellites were used to measure deformation of the landslide mass in the months and years leading up to destabilization. Detailed landslide mapping was conducted using field photographs and SfM models. The reconstruction of near surface temperature evolution has been used to evaluate the potential control of permafrost related processes in the event. Finally, we analyzed the pre-slide climate using the long-term Loch Vale meteorological station, ~2 km south of the slide, and the Bear Lake SNOTEL site ~3 km SE of the slide. This holistic approach to the Chaos Canyon landslide provides us the best chance of better understanding the mechanisms at work in the months leading up to June 28th and into the moment of failure.

Session No. 7

T59. A Bird’s Eye View: Remote Sensing Applications for Geohazards
Sunday, 9 October 2022: 8:00 AM-12:00 PM
405 (Colorado Convention Center)
Geological Society of America Abstracts with Programs. Vol 54, No. 5
doi: 10.1130/abs/2022AM-381983
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