Preprints
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-580
https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-580
28 May 2025
 | 28 May 2025

The damability function: A probabilistic approach to regional landslide dam susceptibility analysis applied to the Oregon Coast Range, USA

Paul Monroe Morgan, Alex Grant, Will Struble, Sean LaHusen, and Alison Duvall

Abstract. Landslides can dam rivers and require rapid response to mitigate catastrophic outburst floods. Here we present a workflow to map landslide dam formation susceptibility at a regional scale. We define a probabilistic function that combines river valley width and landslide volume to efficiently determine the likelihood of a landslide dam or ‘damability’. We combine damability values with landslide susceptibility to find landslide dam susceptibility. The valley width measurements are automated using a new elevation threshold-based algorithm. Landslide volume is represented as a statistical distribution from mapped landslides. We verify and apply our approach to the Oregon Coast Range, USA and find high susceptibility in river headwaters and generally steeper terrain, which in this case correlates with more resistant lithologies. We also estimate volumes of the potential dammed lakes and find that most rivers with high dam susceptibility are less likely to impound large lakes, because they have low drainage areas. However, widespread susceptibility, and the critical potential impacts from exceptionally large landslides, suggest this hazard should be considered in the Pacific Northwest. The damability function workflow can readily ingest new data and can be applied more broadly to assess future landslide dam hazards.

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Paul Monroe Morgan, Alex Grant, Will Struble, Sean LaHusen, and Alison Duvall

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  • RC1: 'Comment on egusphere-2025-580', Anonymous Referee #1, 24 Jun 2025
  • RC2: 'Comment on egusphere-2025-580', Anonymous Referee #2, 29 Aug 2025
Paul Monroe Morgan, Alex Grant, Will Struble, Sean LaHusen, and Alison Duvall
Paul Monroe Morgan, Alex Grant, Will Struble, Sean LaHusen, and Alison Duvall

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Short summary
When landslides dam rivers, the impacts can include catastrophic outburst flooding. This work defines a function that combines river valley widths and landslide volumes to find the likelihood that a river will be dammed by a potential landslide or ‘damability’. We apply the method to the Oregon Coast Range and find widespread high damability especially where rivers flow through steep mountains with strong rocks. Our new workflow is flexible and can be applied more broadly to other regions.
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