EVALUATING LANDSLIDE SUSCEPTIBILITY IN NEBRASKA WITH A GIS 
Luoheng Han 
Research Assistant 
Center for Advanced Land Management Information Technologies 
University of Nebraska - Lincoln 
Lincoln, NE USA 68588 
Duane A. Eversoll 
Research Geologist and Associate Director 
Conservation and Survey Division 
University of Nebraska - Lincoln 
Lincoln, NE USA 68588 
Donald C. Rundquist 
Professor and Director 
Center for Advanced Land Management Information Technologies 
University of Nebraska - Lincoln 
Lincoln, NE USA 68588 
ISPRS Commission II 
ABSTRACT: 
Landslides that damage roadways are a special problem requiring the attention of engineers and geologists in 
maintaining and prevention and mitigation. This research used GIS to develop a statewide landslide susceptibility map. 
The inputs to the GIS include the slope of land surface, landslide prone shale formations, loess deposits, glacial till 
and precipitation. A model was established based on these five factors. The output information from the system 
contains landslide potential maps, for the whole state, Department of Roads district, or for any specific area within 
the state required by a user. 
KEY WORDS: Landslide, GIS, Database, Modelling 
1. INTRODUCTION 
Nebraska is not perceived by the general public as a state 
with landslide problem because it is viewed as being flat, 
and, a majority of the existing slides don’t occur in the 
highly populated areas. Nevertheless, Nebraska has 
significant numbers of landslides. 
Landslides that damage roads are a special problem, 
requiring the attention of engineers and geologists in 
preventing them and mitigating their effects. The 
Nebraska Department of Roads and the University of 
Nebraska -Lincoln cooperated on a systematic search for 
existing or potential slides, that could cause possible 
roadway hazards or damages. This study inventoried and 
classified 209 roadway related landslide. The study 
started in July 1988 and terminated in May 1991. 
The five types of landslides identified along Nebraska 
roadways are: Rockfalls, Rockslumps, Earthslumps, Rock 
Spreads, and Complex (Varnes 1978 and Eversoll 1991). 
2. FACTORS THAT CONTRIBUTE TO 
LANDSLIDES 
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Certain conditions are required in order for landslides to 
occur in any specific area. The first factor is critical slope 
angle, which refers to the maximum slope inclination that 
rock and soil materials can support without falling. Angle 
varies for different geological materials and conditions. 
Geological formations that were found to be susceptible to 
landslides are the second factor. They are as follows, 
starting with the most susceptible: 
Cretaceous Pierre Shale, a consolidated plastic and 
expansive clay - shale. It has colors from medium to dark 
gray, brownish - gray and black. It may locally grade into 
Calcareous, silty shale or claystone, marl, shaly sandstone, 
and sand shale. It contains selenite crystals, thin seams of 
gypsum and very thin layers of bentonite. The pierre shale 
is exposed in three areas of Nebraska, the northcentral, the 
northwest and the southwest - southcentral. For reasons 
not fully understood, the Pierre Shale in the northcentral 
area are particularly prone to landslides, while the 
exposures in the other two areas are less likely to exhibit 
landslide tendencies. 
Cretaceous - Dakota Group, ranges from sandstone to 
shale. The shales can be susceptible to landslides,