CGRG Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology
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Author : Evans, S.G.; Raymond, E.L.; and Couture, R.
Date : 2002.
Title : Landslide hazard assessment using historical data ; the case of the southeastern Cordillera.
Publication : Annual Meeting of the Canadian Geophysical Union. May 18-21, 2002, Banff, Alberta.
Issue :
Page(s) :
Abstract
Landslides are a major natural hazard in Canada since they impact on communities, lifelines and both regional and national economies. Landslides have caused over 600 deaths across Canada since the middle of the 19th century. In addition, communities have been damaged, lines of communication have been severed, and the resource base has been significantly impacted. Recent studies of the geographic distribution of the impact of landslides in Canada has indicated that the Canadian Cordillera, comprising about one fifth of Canada’s land mass, is the region most prone to damaging landslides. The southeastern Cordillera (roughly defined by the Trans-Canada Highway to the north, the Foothills to the east and the Okanagan Valley to the west) has been the site of a number of catastrophic landslides including the 1903 Frank Slide, Canada’s worst landslide disaster. The region is crossed by national strategic transportation corridors, has important natural resources, and has extensive areas of designated natural heritage. The record of damaging landslide events in historical time has been compiled from existing case history documents, archival information, and information supplied by transportation companies and government agencies. The record has been assembled in a relational database. Major damaging landslide types have been identified as follows; rock avalanches, rockfalls, and rainfall-triggered debris flows and debris avalanches. Deforming rock slopes, however, constitute a hazard that is difficult to assess. At one strategic site digital elevation models have been useful in characterizing surface changes. A regional definition of landslide risk has been attempted for the southeastern Cordillera and the role of such factors as human activity and climate in determining landslide frequency has been analysed. The study provides a framework for a regional hazard assessment and for evaluating mitigation measures, emergency preparedness and landslide disaster response strategies for the region.
Bibliography of Canadian Geomorphology