Constraining landslide frequency across the United States to inform county-level risk reduction

Luna, Lisa V.; Woodard, Jacob B.; Bytheway, Janice L.; Belair, Gina M.; Mirus, Benjamin B.

doi:https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-25-3279-2025

Articles | Volume 25, issue 9

https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-25-3279-2025

© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-25-3279-2025

© Author(s) 2025. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.

Articles | Volume 25, issue 9

Research article

|

11 Sep 2025

Research article |

| 11 Sep 2025

Constraining landslide frequency across the United States to inform county-level risk reduction

Lisa V. Luna, Jacob B. Woodard, Janice L. Bytheway, Gina M. Belair, and Benjamin B. Mirus

Data sets

Landslide inventories across the United States (ver. 3.0, February 2025) G. M. Belair et al. https://doi.org/10.5066/P14AJF8I

Slope-relief threshold landslide susceptibility models for the United States and Puerto Rico G. M. Belair et al. https://doi.org/10.5066/P13KAGU3

Data release for the 2023 U.S. 50-State National Seismic Hazard Model - Overview M. D. Petersen et al. https://doi.org/10.5066/P9GNPCOD

Model code and software

Bayesian county-level landslide frequency estimation for the 50 U.S. States Lisa V. Luna and Jacob B. Woodard https://doi.org/10.5066/P142ZLDX

Short summary

Landslide frequency (how often landslides occur) is needed to assess landslide hazard and risk but has rarely been quantified at near-continental scales. Here, we used statistical models to estimate landslide frequency across the United States while addressing gaps in landslide reporting. Our results showed strong variations in landslide frequency that followed topography, earthquake probability, and ecological region and highlighted areas with potential for widespread landsliding.