Influence of the Blue Mesa Reservoir on the Red Creek Landslide, Colorado
Abstract
Research Article| January 01, 2004 Influence of the Blue Mesa Reservoir on the Red Creek Landslide, Colorado SCOTT R. WALKER; SCOTT R. WALKER 1URS Corporation, 8181 East Tufts Avenue, Denver, CO 80237 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar PAUL M. SANTI PAUL M. SANTI 2Department of Geology and Geological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar Author and Article Information SCOTT R. WALKER 1URS Corporation, 8181 East Tufts Avenue, Denver, CO 80237 PAUL M. SANTI 2Department of Geology and Geological Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO 80401 Publisher: Association of Environmental & Engineering Geologists First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Online ISSN: 1558-9161 Print ISSN: 1078-7275 Copyright © 2004 Geological Society of America Environmental & Engineering Geoscience (2004) 10 (1): 13–26. https://doi.org/10.2113/10.1.13 Article history First Online: 02 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn MailTo Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation SCOTT R. WALKER, PAUL M. SANTI; Influence of the Blue Mesa Reservoir on the Red Creek Landslide, Colorado. Environmental & Engineering Geoscience 2004;; 10 (1): 13–26. doi: https://doi.org/10.2113/10.1.13 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyEnvironmental & Engineering Geoscience Search Advanced Search Abstract Intermittent movement of the Red Creek Landslide has caused settling and cracking of U.S. Highway 50 west of Gunnison, Colorado, for more than 30 years. Significant degradation of the roadway has resulted in extensive repair costs and traffic delays. Geomorphic and computer stability analyses support the theory that the active Red Creek Landslide is the partial reactivation of a larger, ancient paleolandslide, with a basal rupture surface located predominantly in the Morrison Formation. The original paleolandslide may have been triggered by an earthquake coupled with a high water table. Creation of the Blue Mesa Reservoir submerged approximately 50 percent of the paleolandslide. Some clay layers within the Morrison Formation are susceptible to severe weakening by slaking, and the resulting reduction in strength, combined with a pre-existing failure plane at depth, contributed to the recent partial reactivation of the paleolandslide. Seasonal rapid drawdown of the Blue Mesa Reservoir acts as the trigger for movement, and large drawdowns have been correlated with periods of slope movement. The effects of rapid drawdown could be minimized if reservoir drawdown can be limited to rates less than the critical calculated values. Historic excavation near the toe may explain why other paleolandslides around the reservoir have not reactivated under identical drawdown conditions. You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.
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