Geologic Hazards Overview
Section Summary
Accessible through the selection page, this section contains area-specific hazards
available for select metropolitan areas; however, the content is applicable to everyone regardless of where they
live. The purpose of this section is to educate and inform potential home buyers and developers of geologic hazards which
pose a risk to a given area.
Expansive Clays
One section is devoted to information on expansive and collapsible clays. Shown are many pictures of houses, roadways, and structures
which have experienced major and minor damage as a result of expansive clays. Most examples are from the Washington
County area, but the pictures are representative of damages caused by this hazard nationwide.
Flooding
Another section is devoted to pictures of damages caused by regional and local flooding. There is a gallery of images from
the catastrophic flooding in Washington County in Jan 2005, in which over 14 structures were swept away by the Santa Clara River.
Images are also shown of extensive damages caused by seasonal flash floods. Maps are available for 100 year floodplain zones
and historical flooding accounts.
Rock Falls and Landslides
This section shows images of damages caused by large and small rock falls, mud flows, and landslides. These hazards are a
continual nuisance to structures built on steep gradients or near mountain slopes. Utah has had several very destructive
events from these hazards including the Thistle Slide, which was the most costly natural disaster in the states history.
