Landslides in the northern Colorado Front Range caused by rainfall, September 11-13, 2013

Jonathan W. Godt; Jeffrey A. Coe; Jason W. Kean; Rex L. Baum; Eric S. Jones; Edwin L. Harp; Dennis M. Staley; William D. Barnhart

doi:10.3133/fs20133114

Landslides in the northern Colorado Front Range caused by rainfall, September 11-13, 2013

Fact Sheet 2013-3114

By: Jonathan W. Godt, Jeffrey A. Coe, Jason W. Kean, Rex L. Baum, Eric S. Jones, Edwin L. Harp, Dennis M. Staley, and William D. Barnhart

https://doi.org/10.3133/fs20133114

Links

More information: USGS Index Page
Document: Report
Download citation as: RIS | Dublin Core

Abstract

During the second week of September 2013, nearly continuous rainfall caused widespread landslides and flooding in the northern Colorado Front Range. The combination of landslides and flooding was responsible for eight fatalities and caused extensive damage to buildings, highways, and infrastructure. Three fatalities were attributed to a fast moving type of landslide called debris flow. One fatality occurred in Jamestown, and two occurred in the community of Pinebrook Hills immediately west of the City of Boulder. All major canyon roads in the northern Front Range were periodically closed between September 11 and 13, 2013. Some canyon closures were caused by undercutting of roads by landslides and flooding, and some were caused by debris flows and rock slides that deposited material on road surfaces. Most of the canyon roads, with the exceptions of U.S. Highway 6 (Clear Creek Canyon), State Highway 46/Jefferson Co. Rd. 70 (Golden Gate Canyon), and Sunshine Canyon in Boulder County, remained closed at the end of September 2013. A review of historical records in Colorado indicates that this type of event, with widespread landslides and flooding occurring over a very large region, in such a short period of time, is rare.

Study Area

Additional publication details
Publication type	Report
Publication Subtype	USGS Numbered Series
Title	Landslides in the northern Colorado Front Range caused by rainfall, September 11-13, 2013
Series title	Fact Sheet
Series number	2013-3114
DOI	10.3133/fs20133114
Year Published	2014
Language	English
Publisher	U.S. Geological Survey
Publisher location	Reston, VA
Contributing office(s)	National Landslide Information Center
Description	3 p.
Country	United States
State	Colorado
County	Boulder County
City	Jamestown;Pinebrook Hills
Other Geospatial	Clear Creek Canyon;Colorado Front Range;Golden Gate Canyon;Sunshine Canyon
Google Analytic Metrics	Metrics page