Unit 5.4 Heavy rainfall and landslides

Mark Abolins, Middle Tennessee State University, and Angela Daneshmand, Santiago Canyon College.

These assignments are based on an USGS activity. The activity has been updated and modified for use in an introductory-level university course.

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Initial Publication Date: September 20, 2024

Summary

Students assume various roles (e.g., school superintendent) and use online maps to explore landslide hazards in Southern California. They examine the landslide problems from different perspectives, and they apply what they have learned to their areas of interest. This is an updated version of a widely-used USGS landslide outreach activity.

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Learning Objectives

At the end of Unit 5.4, students will be able to:

  • Analyze landslide hazards at three school sites.
  • Describe the role of rainfall and earthquakes in landslide hazard.
  • Evaluate the safety of children at the schools.
  • Recommend relocation of a school and provide supporting information.

Context for Use

This activity is intended for use in the middle of an introductory Earth Science course for college-level students. The activity could be used with any class size, and can be completed in approximately 3 hours outside the classroom, plus additional time for in-class and homework activities.

Description and Teaching Materials

Teaching Materials:

Pre-class homework (45 min):

The pre-class homework introduces students to flood and landslide hazards in southern California

Students learn background information about flooding and landslides in Southern California. Students are placed in groups. Each student takes on one role (e.g., school superintendent). The instructor may coordinate the choice of roles to assure that one or two students in each group take on each role. Each student considers the background information in light of their role.

In class (60 min: Part A - 15 min; Part B - 45 min):

In Part A, each student shares a perspective on a landslide hazard and learns about how others see this hazard. In Part B, students use online information and maps to learn about landslide hazards in the vicinity of three Southern California schools.

Part B requires a computer. This could be completed (a) by students in a computer lab, (b) by projecting online maps and information on a screen, or (c) as homework. Many students would likely find this to be a challenging homework assignment.

  • Student handout: Unit 5.4 In-Class Activity (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 4.6MB Aug23 24)
  • Answers:

Homework Assignment (30 min):

Each student uses what was learned from the pre-class and in-class work to write a summary about all the views expressed in the group. Each student also uses what they learned in this assignment to examine landslide hazards in the student's area of interest.

  • Assignment: Unit 5.4 In-Class Homework (Microsoft Word 2007 (.docx) 65kB Aug23 24)
  • Answers: (Answers will vary. However, they should incorporate both factual information and multiple perspectives on landslide hazards.)

Teaching Notes and Tips

In advance of assigning this work to students, the instructor should become familiar with the assignment websites. If Part B of the in-class assignment is assigned as homework, many students would likely benefit from an in-class demonstration of how to use the websites.

Instructors wishing to use physical models might consider this in-class activity or similar: TeachEngineering Mini-Landslide. This activity could be the first in-class activity, positioned immediately after the Pre-class Homework.


Assessment

The in-class assignment can be used for formative assessment.

The homework assignment is the summative assessment for Unit 5.4.

References and Resources

AP (2018) "Calif. Mudslides Create Catastrophic Debris Flow." YouTube, Associated Press, 9 Jan. 2018, https://youtu.be/nWhjWNhTHk0

Caltech (2022) "Earthquake Information." Southern California Earthquake Data Center at Caltech, Caltech, https://scedc.caltech.edu/earthquake/losangeles.html

CNRA (2020) Geologic Map of California, 2010 (1:750k), California Department of Conservation, https://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?webmap=2a718c86c96e41e298410c8b58515812

CU (2011) "Debris Flow California." YouTube, University of Colorado, Boulder, 13 July 2011, https://youtu.be/p8dOGK4tjfw

Earthquake Hazards (2022) Earthquake Hazards, USGS, https://www.usgs.gov/programs/earthquake-hazards/hazards

LA (2022) "Weathering La Rain." Ready LA County, Los Angeles County, CA, 10 Mar. 2022, https://ready.lacounty.gov/rain/

Nyman, M., & St. Clair, T. (2016). A Geometric model to teach nature of science, science practices, and metacognition. Journal of College Science Teaching, 45(5).

SWED (2022) Swed: Mudflow Forecast Page, Los Angeles County, CA, https://dpw.lacounty.gov/wrd/forecast/index.cfm

USGS (2022) Earthquake-Triggered Ground-Failure Inventories, USGS, https://usgs.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=2b6f1e57135f41028ea42ebc6813d967

UW (2022) Rockd, UW Macrostrat Lab, https://rockd.org/explore