The geologic history and processes that operated in New York set in place the conditions that make landslides, slope failures, and mass movements possible. A combination of rock type, topography, structural integrity, and climate has created a scenario where slope failures may occur in materials ranging from crystalline rocks to glacial soils. Landslides have occurred across all of New York State, from the Adirondacks to Long Island. However, the most common (prevalent) types of landslides that occur in New York are the result of the combination New York's physiography and glacial history. Expansive lakes become a basin to trap fine-grained sediments, such as clays and silts. It is these fine-grained sediments, combined with topography and climate, that form a recipe for slope failures in New York. My research interests are in mapping the extent of these former glacial lake sediments, estimating their age, classifying the type of failures, and using LiDAR to identify paleolandslides and predict where future hazards may occur.
Related publications
Laura Sherrod1, Kenneth Schlosser1, Andrew Kozlowski2, Brian Bird2, D. Dale Werkema Jr.3 and Jarred Swiontek1; September, 2014, Geophysical Characterization of the Keene Valley Landslide in New York State, Journal of Environmental and Engineering Geophysics, Volume 19, Issue 3, pp. 139–155
