New Map Shows Landslide-Prone Areas

A new map showing landslide-prone areas throughout California is released by the California Geological Survey.

A new map showing landslide-prone areas throughout California was released Thursday by the California Geological Survey.

The map reveals significant landslide potential in coastal mountain areas. Among the most susceptible to landslides are the coastal mountain ranges between Los Angeles and San Francisco.

The map is color-coded, with red and orange indicating areas of high risk. White indicates a flat area with little landslide risk. The map also contains a risk assessment based on a scale from zero to 10. The map contains more than 50,000 known landslides with likely thousands more unknown.

Landslides are usually caused by earthquakes or even rainfall, and differ from mudslides, which are not shown on the map. Landslides can be deadly and typically cause tens of millions in damages during heavy rainfall years.

The map is part of a new effort known as ArkStorm, which tries to estimate the future effects of storm damage in the state. The new map should provide a valuable tool to state officials tasked with estimating landslide losses in future storm.

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