Modeling and analysis of the 1949 Narrows landslide, Tacoma, Washington
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Abstract
A large landslide failed catastrophically along steep, 90-m (300-ft) high bluffs overlooking the waters of Puget Sound at Tacoma, Washington, in April of 1949, three days after the region was struck by a magnitude 7.1 earthquake. The area of failure was investigated to estimate the static and seismic stability of the pre-earthquake slope and to identify factors that contributed to the failure. Results of static analyses suggest that the slope was marginally stable and that high ground-water conditions would have significantly reduced slope stability. The Newmark analysis of dynamic (seismic) slope stability was used to calculate predicted inertial displacements for the landslide for a range of possible material property and ground-water conditions. Comparison of predicted displacements with a reported displacement suggests that the ground motion could have initiated the large-scale failure. Results of the study provide a basis for discussion and comparison of similar bluffs in the Puget Sound region that may be susceptible to catastrophic, earthquake-induced slope failure.
Study Area
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Modeling and analysis of the 1949 Narrows landslide, Tacoma, Washington |
| Series title | Bulletin of the Association of Engineering Geologists |
| DOI | 10.2113/gseegeosci.xxxi.3.305 |
| Volume | 31 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Year Published | 1994 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Association of Engineering Geologists |
| Description | 23 p. |
| First page | 305 |
| Last page | 327 |
| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| City | Tacoma |
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