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Geology topics

W. M. Brown

Publications and source records attributed to W. M. Brown.

5 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS1993

The Golden bypass landslide, Golden, Colorado

Slope instability along a new highway bypass in Golden, Colorado, became a major concern in 1993. Rains and snowmelt accelerated movement of a landslide that had begun to develop before the bypass was opened to traffic in July of 1991. The downslope movement of earth materials increased significantly in 1993. During the first few months of the year, the landslide pushed onto the west shoulder of the road and crumpled the pavement beneath the south-bound lane. As we prepare this article (September, 1993), the slide continues to encroach onto the highway, posing a persistent problem despite repeated efforts to slow or stop its movement. As this article will show, permanent solutions to landslide problems of this kind are difficult to obtain.

Colorado↗
USGS1987

Real-time landslide warning during heavy rainfall

A real-time system for issuing warnings of landslides during major storms is being developed for the San Francisco Bay region, California. The system is based on empirical and theoretical relations between rainfall and landslide initiation, geologic determination of areas susceptible to landslides, real-time monitoring of a regional network of telemetering rain gages, and National Weather Service precipitation forecasts. This system was used to issue warnings during the storms of 12 to 21 February 1986, which produced 800 millimeters of rainfall in the region. Although analysis after the storms suggests that modifications and additional developments are needed, the system successfully predicted the times of major landslide events. It could be used as a prototype for systems in other landslide-prone regions.

California↗
USGS1986

River-quality assessment of the Truckee and Carson River system, California and Nevada: Hydrologic characteristics

A study of the Truckee and Carson Rivers was begun in October 1978 to assess the cause and effect relations between human and natural actions, and the quality of water at different times and places along the rivers. This report deals with the compilation of basic hydrologic data and the presentation of some of the new data collected during the study. Topographic, flow, and chemical data, data from recent time-of-travel studies, and new data on river mileages and drainage areas that were determined using new , high-resolution maps, are included. The report is a guide to locating maps, aerial photographs, computer files, and reports that relate to the rivers and their basins. It describes methods for compiling and expressing hydrologic information for ease of reading and understanding by the many users of water-related data. Text, tabular data, and colored plates with detailed maps and hydrographs are extensively cross referenced.

California, Nevada↗