Research Guides
Government Sources by Subject: Oso (SR 530) Landslide
Starting Points
On Saturday, March 22, 2014, at 10:37 a.m. local time, a major mudslide occurred 4 miles (6.4 km) east of Oso, Washington. A portion of an unstable hill collapsed, sending mud and debris across the North Fork of the Stillaguamish River, engulfing a rural neighborhood, and covering an area of approximately 1 square mile. [These details courtesy of Wikipedia]
This page includes information about that slide as well as related information.
- 2014 Oso, Washington Landslide, GEER Association Report No.GEER-036PDF files in both low and high resolution.
- Building Toward Disaster, The Seattle TimesInteractive map showing the history of the Oso landslide area starting in 1887.
- Hazel-Gold Basin Landslides: Geomorphic Review Draft Report, 1999The Miller report from 1999, done for the Army Corps of Engineers, mentioned by many of the
news stories on the Hazel/Oso Landslide; PDF format. - The Historic Background of the Oso Mudslide, Washington State Library Digital and Historic Collections"The story of the Oso mudslide is being followed around the nation. What many people don’t realize however is that this area was hit by a similar mud slide in 1951, thankfully non-fatal..."
- Landslide in Washington State, USGSDetailed current and background information, including geologic maps and photographs from a recent aerial survey of the landslide.
- Preliminary Interpretation of pre-2014 Landslide Deposits in the Vicinity of Oso, WashingtonOpen-File Report 2014–1065 from the U.S. Geological Survey.
- Snohomish County Natural Hazard Mitigation Update, Tetra Tech, September 2010Planning Area Wide Elements (PDF), volume 1; includes table of contents, list of tables and executive summary. See also Planning Partner Annexes (PDF), volume 2; includes table of contents. Note: these links do not lead to the full text of these documents. Use a Google search to turn up some of the chapters; for example: Landslides and Other Mass Movements, Vol.1 pt.2, ch. 14.
- Snohomish County Slide News and ResourcesMaps, photos, Medical Examiners Report, video, a page for Darrington residents, and many more resources. . .
- SnoScape: Snohomish County Landscape ImagingAt this site, you can view lidar (remote sensing) data, flood information, steep slope areas, urban growth boundaries, and more. An interesting thing to do is to zoom into the Oso slide area and turn on/off the "bare" and "built" topography layers. By doing this, you are viewing the lidar image of the bare earth (no trees, buildings, etc. just the ground) and the "canopy" lidar image (trees, buildings, etc.).
- SR530 Landslide - Scientific Information, U.S. Geological SurveyRiver and geospatial data, satellite imagery, seismic data, photographs, and more. . .
- Stillaguamish Documents and Study Background U.S. Army Corps of EngineersReports and assessments for the Stillaguamish ecosystem.
- Joint SR 530 Landslide CommissionThe Joint SR 530 Commission, formed by Governor Jay Inslee and Snohomish County Executive John Lovick, is focused on making recommendations that would "improve planning and response for similar events" in the future. The final report of the commission can be found here.
- Landslide mobility and hazards: implications of the 2014 Oso disaster
This link opens in a new window
A study published in Earth and Planetary Sciences by scientists from the USGS, University of Washington, and NOAA National Weather Service that examines the cause of the slide. Coverage of the report in the Seattle Times.
Information on Landslides
- Landslide Hazards Program, U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)Current landslides, landslide monitoring, landslide information for specific locations, research, and more. . .
- USGS Monitoring Colorado Area for Landslides: 9News, Denver, ColoradoArticle with video: "An area in Central Colorado may give scientists more insight on how to prevent and predict areas susceptible to landslides.The USGS is currently monitoring 13 sites across the country, including an area of the Chalk Cliffs in Buena Vista."
Oso Landslide
Washington State Patrol photo from Wikimedia
- Interactive map and story from The Seattle Times
- Before and After the Hwy 530 Landslide, an interactive map based on high resolution data collected on March 24, 2014 by the Washington State DOT
News Resources
- 530 Slide News & Resources, Snohomish County, WashingtonThe latest news releases.
- Documents provide new detail about permits in Oso landslide zone, KiroTVKiroTV news segment on the OSO Landslide and newly released Snohomish County Documents. Further maps, data and information provided at SR 530 Slide: Permit and Building Information
- Herald NetCurrent local news plus related stories.