Are landslides a problem in Pennsylvania?
Landslides cause damage to transportation routes, utilities, and buildings and create travel delays and other side effects. Fortunately, deaths and injuries due to landslides are rare in Pennsylvania. Most Pennsylvania landslides are moderate to slow moving and damage things rather than people. Nevertheless, damage can be significant. “Backyard” landslides, common in the Pittsburgh area, are usually repaired incompletely or not at all. Cost estimates of several hundred thousand dollars for stabilization and repair of a landslide affecting two or three properties are typical. Often the “solution” is abandonment of the property. Urban and rural land development is increasing both the number of landslides and the economic effects of natural slides. Southwestern Pennsylvania has by far the highest concentration of landslides, but much of the state has susceptible areas. Landslides occur primarily in loose soil and in old landslide debris on steep slopes. They can be triggered by extreme am
