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Debris-Flow Hazards within the Appalachian Mountains of the Eastern United States

By Gerald F. Wieczorek and Benjamin A. Morgan

PDF (8.39 MB)

Tropical storms, including hurricanes, often inflict major damage to property and disrupt the lives of people living in coastal areas of the Eastern United States. These storms also are capable of generating catastrophic landslides within the steep slopes of the Appalachian Mountains. Heavy rainfall from hurricanes, cloudbursts, and thunderstorms can generate rapidly moving debris flows that are among the most dangerous and damaging type of landslides. This fact sheet explores the nature and occurrence of debris flows in the central and southern Appalachian Mountains, which extend from central Pennsylvania to northern Alabama.

For more information, please email the USGS contact.

Suggested citation:
Wieczorek, G.F., and Morgan, B.A., 2008, Debris-flow hazards within the Appalachian Mountains of the Eastern United States: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet 2008–3070, 4 p., available only online.

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