Landslides
Buffalo Creek Landslide, Bighorn Basin, Wyoming
In November 2016, a Discovery Channel camera crew filmed geologists from the Wyoming State
Geological Survey at the site of the Buffalo Creek Landslide in the Bighorn Basin. Hunters
noticed the landslide in October 2015. The video, produced and owned by Discovery Channel,
can be viewed on the left. Follow the link below for an interpretation based on review of
historic photographs, web sources, photographs of the slide, existing data, and local geology.
Landslide near West Fork of Buffalo Creek
Landslides in Wyoming
Landslides, also known as mass wasting, are the downward movement of rock caused by gravity and
occur when a slope becomes unstable. Rock falls, 
debris flows, slumps, lateral spread, and
creep are all types of landslides. Landslides can damage or destroy roads, pipelines,
structures, and utility lines. They can also temporarily block rivers with earthen dams,
which when over topped by backed up water can cause flash flooding downstream. When landslides
occur in populated areas, they can cause significant damage and loss of life. Local geology,
geologic structures, hydrology, and precipitation are the primary contributors to landslides.
Human activities, such as road construction and surface water diversion, can also have an effect
on the occurrence of landslides.
Landslides occur every year in Wyoming, however, most occur in remote areas and
do no typically cause damage. The WSGS has mapped more than 30,000 landslides.
Susceptibility to Deep-seated Landslides in Wyoming, 2019
Landslide Database
Preliminary Map of Landslides in Wyoming
Landslides
Types of Landslides
Debris Flow—A mass of loose, water-laden and poorly sorted debris of
fragmented rock, soil, and mud that surges down a slope in response to gravitational processes.
Debris flows can be triggered by heavy rainfall, rapid snowmelt, or by other landslides.
Falls—Unexpected release of rock or coarse material from a steep slope.
Topples—Comparable to falls, but the primary motion involves forward rotation
and mass movement of rock or debris out of a slope face.
Creep—Slow movement of material down a slope.
Rotational (slump)—Block of material moving down a slope along a concave surface.
Translational—Block of material moving downslope that occurs along a distinctive surface of weakness (soil horizon, bedding, or fault) or parallel to the ground surface.
Contact:
Seth Wittke, seth.wittke@wyo.gov