The Washington Division of Geology and Earth Resources

Geology in the Public Interest

Washington's complex geology gives rise to many geologic hazards—earthquakes, activevolcanoes, landslides, tsunamis, and abandoned mines. As Washington’s geological survey,

the Division of Geology and Earth Resources contributes to the safety and economic well-being ofWashington's citizens by informing the public, government, and industry about the consequences ofunpredictable geologic events and the nature of the land around us, including the availability ofimportant resources such as aquifers and sand and gravel. The Division has provided this information atvery low cost to the taxpayer, supplementing its budget with more than $1 million in grants over thelast ten years to help finance this work. Studies have shown that providing geologic information to thepublic more than pays for itself over time. For example, a benefit/investment analysis done for Oregon’sgeological survey showed that for every tax dollar spent, they brought in or saved the state about $235.

The Division of Geology provides:

� Evaluation of geologic hazards andadvice on their mitigation

� Disaster response and damageassessment

� Surface and subsurface geologicalmapping

� Inventory and regulation of mineraland oil and gas resources

� Technical support for environmentaland forest protection

� A complete library collection on thegeology of Washington

� Publications on Washington geology

GEOLOGIC HAZARDS

Division geologists actively identify,assess, and map geologic hazards usingmodern geotechnical and geophysicalmethods. Our hazard maps are criticalfor land-use and emergency-management planning, disasterresponse, and building-code

amendment. As our population grows,there is increasing pressure to develop inhazardous areas. Delineation of theseareas has never been more important.

In response to the Growth ManagementAct's mandate to use the ‘best availablescience’, our geologists meet with localgovernments and townspeople in at-riskcommunities to educate them aboutgeologic hazards and ensure that thesehazards are taken into account ingrowth-management and disasterplanning.

The Division is also among the firstresponders to disasters, helping staff theState Emergency Operations Center atCamp Murray and later documentingdamage in the field.

Landslides. Landslides are a continuingproblem along our hillsides, shorelines,and roadways. Just since 1996, land-slides have caused hundreds of millionsof dollars of damage in Washington.

The Division is a leader in landslidehazard identification, mitigation, andemergency response. Our geologistsresponded to landslide emergencies inSeattle in 1997, in Olympia and GrandCoulee in 1998, and in SnohomishCounty in 2002. We have mappedCowlitz County’s landslide hazard areasto assist with growth-managementplanning. The county's Aldercrestlandslide, which damaged 138 homes,was declared a federal disaster area.Damage to public facilities and private

property is estimated in excess of $30million.

Landslide hazard maps can help preventthis kind of loss to property by showingthose areas that are unsafe for building.To this end, additional landslidemapping projects are currently plannedfor Thurston and Clark Counties.

Division geologists are also studyinglarge ancient landslides that may recordprehistoric earthquakes to helpdocument the recurrence intervals formega-quakes, which could bedevastating to western Washington.

Earthquakes. Geologic evidencesuggests that most of Washington is atrisk from large earthquakes. In 1700, amega-quake occurred on the Cascadiasubduction zone just off the coast ofWashington. The largest quake sinceEuropean settlement was in a sparselypopulated area east of the Cascades in1872. Puget Lowland earthquakes in1946, 1949, and 1965 killed 15 peopleand caused more than $350 million inproperty damage, and the Nisqually

Massive landslide on Perkins Lane along Magnolia Bluff inSeattle, one of the areas hardest hit during the winterstorms of 1996–97. Photo by Hugh Shipman.

Ron Teissere - State Geologist

Doug SutherlandCommissioner of Public Lands

earthquake in 2001 caused more than$2 billion in damage.

The Division produces earthquakehazard maps for at-risk urban areas.These maps show areas where earth-quake damage from amplification ofearthquake waves or soil liquefactioncan be expected to be high. Damagecan then be mitigated by eitherreinforcing structures in these areasor not building there at all.

Five detailed liquefaction maps and oneground-shaking map have beenpublished by the Division to date. OurOlympia map was tested by theNisqually earthquake and successfullypredicted the areas of greatest damage.A federally funded statewidereconnaissance map of ground-shakingand liquefaction susceptibility wascompleted in 2004 and is available onour website (see http://www.dnr.wa.gov/geology/hazards/hmgp.htm).

Division geologists hold workshops toshow cities and counties how to usethese maps for land-use and emergency-management planning.

Volcanoes. In the past 12,000 years,Washington’s five active volcanoeshave erupted more than 200 times,producing ash, lava, and massivemudflows. The 1980 eruption ofMount St. Helens killed 57 people,blanketed eastern Washington withash, and caused more than $1 billionin damage.

Mount Rainier is our most dangerousvolcano because of the largepopulation close to the mountain.Previous lahars (mudflows) fromMount Rainier inundated PugetLowland valleys as far as current-dayRenton, Tacoma, and Olympia. TheDivision has mapped and determinedthe age of many of these events topresent a much clearer picture of theirfrequency and magnitude.

In the past, lahars from Glacier Peakhave flowed through the Skagit Valley allthe way to La Conner. Recent mappingin Skagit and Whatcom Counties hasidentified previously unrecognized,young lahars from Glacier Peak thatwould obliterate small towns such asDarrington and destroy sections ofInterstate 5, should they occur today.

The Division collaborates with the U.S.Geological Survey's Cascades VolcanoObservatory to produce volcano hazardmaps and develop response plans foreach volcano. We assist at-riskcommunities with their land-use,evacuation, and emergency-management plans and hold openmeetings in at-risk communities topresent the danger and allow citizens toask questions and voice concerns.

Tsunamis. The coast of Washington isat risk from tsunamis of both local anddistant origin. These destructive wavesare most commonly caused bysubmarine earthquakes. In 1964, theWashington coast suffered $600,000damage from a tsunami caused by thegreat Alaska earthquake in PrinceWilliam Sound. Our current technologygives us plenty of warning for tsunamisproduced by distant quakes. An

earthquake on the Cascadia subductionzone—like the 1700 event or the IndianOcean earthquake of 2004—couldgenerate a tsunami that would strikeour coast with great force within a fewtens of minutes.

The Division is on the front line indisseminating information abouttsunamis. To date, we have producedfive tsunami hazard maps showingprojected areas of inundation for muchof our outer coast, where more than40,000 residents and $1.5 billion inproperty are at risk. We holdinformational meetings in coastalcommunities and help localgovernments develop evacuation andemergency-management plans.

We also participate in the NationalTsunami Hazard Mitigation Programto help improve tsunami warnings,inundation modeling, and disseminationof tsunami research. Our librarian, undera grant from the NTHMP, prepares andpublishes TsuInfo Alert, a newsletter thatlinks tsunami scientists, emergencyresponders, and community planners tothe latest tsunami research.

Coal Mine Subsidence. Abandonedcoal mines underlie at least 50,000 acresin King, Kittitas, Lewis, Pierce, Skagit,and Whatcom Counties. Some of thesemines are near the surface and pose arisk to buildings or other structures frommine collapse. Information about thelocation and condition of coal mines isnecessary to identify hazardous areas.Our extensive coal mine map collection

Mount St. Helens from the Pumice Plain, about one milenorth of the mountain, on April 16, 1983. Photo by PatPringle.

Debris from a parapet failure on the south side of theWashington Federal Savings building in downtownOlympia caused by the Nisqually earthquake of February2001. Photo by Joe Dragovich. Damage to the State Highway 109 bridge over the Copalis River

near Copalis Beach caused by a distant tsunami from the 1964Alaska earthquake. Photo courtesy of the Daily World,Aberdeen, Wash.

and staff expertise are invaluable inguiding development in these areas.We work with local governments toaccurately locate mines and interpretmine maps. We also respond tocollapses in urban areas.

Abandoned Metal Mines. There aremore than 3800 abandoned metalmines in Washington. The mines wereworked and abandoned before therewas a requirement for reclamation andcleanup. Mine hazards include waterquality degradation from highconcentrations of heavy metals, andphysical hazards such as vertical pits,caving shafts, and collapsingunderground workings. These hazardshave obvious and significant liabilityproblems for land owners, the public,and government. Other states havefound that it only takes one accident tocreate a headline in every newspaper inthe state.

We are currently cataloging andinvestigating these sites for theInventory of Inactive and AbandonedMine Lands. The Division was awarded aU.S. Forest Service grant for this workbecause of our technical expertise andthe extensive collection of reports anddata about these mines in our library.We are publishing our findings on eachmining district as the site investigationwork is done.

GEOLOGIC MAPPING

Geologic maps show the types and agesof rocks that occur at or near the Earth’ssurface. They show the locations offaults and folds, landslides, glacialdeposits, and other regional or localfeatures, depending on the scale of themap. Geologic maps are the mostfundamental and important tool ofearth scientists.

Most geologic mapping done bycompanies and universities is for aspecific purpose and covers a smallirregular area. Our job as the statesurvey is to produce maps that coverwhole areas of the state at variousscales. We compile mapping done byothers and add our own mapping tocomplete the coverage.

Our geologic maps are used for abroad range of practical applications,including growth-managementplanning, dam safety, hazard and riskassessment, water-resource appraisals,resource use and protection, education,recreation, and scientific research.

Virtually every Environmental ImpactStatement (about 50 each year) beginswith a geologic map. Without ourgeologic maps, EIS originators would berequired to generate their owninformation at significant cost.

Recent storm-water runoff mitigation inthe West Plains area of Spokane wasbased on findings of our geologicmapping program, which discoveredpermeable rock into which storm watercould be drained, thus preventingfrequent flooding.

Our current mapping focuses on 7.5-minute quadrangles at a scale of1:24,000. This work is partiallysupported by grants from the U.S.Geological Survey STATEMAP Program.A state geologic mapping advisorycommittee, with members from industry,government, and the geotechnicalconsulting community, directs ourmapping to areas of highest need.

Subsurface Mapping. SometimesDivision geologists can gather enoughsubsurface data to create maps andcross sections that can be used forground-water resource planning andevaluation. For instance, our subsurfacemapping of the Spokane aquifer wascritical in planning new development tomake the best use of available water.Subsurface mapping also aids in hazardassessment and environmental cleanup.

Resource Mapping. Washington hasan $800 million per year mineralindustry that includes sand and gravel,crushed stone, coal, metals, andindustrial minerals such as diatomite,clay, silica, and olivine. Industry uses ourmaps and publications, along with otherreports from our library, to help find newresources.

In the past, the Division has done manymineral and other resource inventories.Recent emphasis has been on locatingthe sand, gravel, and quarry rockresources needed for highway andinfrastructure construction. We haveproduced sand and gravel resourcemaps that are useful for guiding zoningdecisions and balanced resourceplanning at the local level. To date about10 percent of the state has beenmapped for sand, gravel, and crushedrock resource potential.

RESOURCE REGULATION

Surface Mine Reclamation. There areabout 1200 active surface mines inWashington, primarily sand and graveloperations. The Department of NaturalResources is the agency that overseessurface mine reclamation. The Divisionmonitors the operation of these minesto ensure current environmentalprotection and future beneficial use.Mines are often reclaimed for fish andwildlife, grazing, forestry, wetlands, andcommercial and industrial uses.

The Division has produced a ‘bestmanagement practices’ manual forsurface mining to educate miners in theart and science of reclamation. We alsohold workshops to train miners on

The main adit at the Lockwood Pyrite mine, showing acidmine drainage with dissolved metals. Photo by MacMcKay.

particular aspects of reclamation. Bothof these efforts are aimed at reducingthe cost to the State of cleaning up afterbadly managed mines.

Oil and Gas Regulation. The oil andgas regulatory program supervisesexploration and drilling and ensures thatthese activities are done in a mannerthat protects the environment andconserves resources, including ground-water resources.

About 600 oil and gas wells have beendrilled in Washington, although therehas been no large-scale commercialproduction. The gas storage project atJackson Prairie in Lewis County has beenthe state’s most beneficial oil and gasproject. Jackson Prairie is the world’sthird-largest natural gas storage fieldand stores enough natural gas to ensureuninterrupted supplies to our region.

TECHNICAL SUPPORT

The expertise of the Division is oftensought on various environmental issues.For example, the Division:

� Participates in a study of miningeffects on the Yakima River. Partnersin the project are Yakima County, theYakama Tribe, and the WashingtonDepartments of Ecology and Fish andWildlife. The emphasis of the projectis on salmon recovery and developingbetter mining methods.

� Assists in environmental cleanups,including the Asarco smelter site andElliot Bay. The Division lends itsexpertise in geology, mineralogy, andground water.

� Helps educate local government andcitizens about beach erosion andeffects of armoring coastlines.

� Helps ensure that submarine disposalof dredge spoils is done in a stableand safe manner by supplyingexpertise in slope stability.

� Assists the Department of NaturalResources in evaluating land-management practices, assessing landvalues for land trades or acquisitions,and identifying resources.

� Reviews State EnvironmentalProtection Act (SEPA) and NationalEnvironmental Protection Act (NEPA)documents to ensure that geologichazards and resources are considered.

GEOLOGY LIBRARY

Geologic research is expensive and time-consuming. Fortunately, research reportstypically retain their value and utilityfor many years, providing an economicreturn to society of many times theiroriginal cost. To fully understand thegeology of an area requires studies ofits soils, surficial deposits, bedrock,stratigraphy, paleontology, mineralogy,geochemistry, geochronology, structuralgeology, hydrology, and geophysics(seismic, gravity, magnetic and othersurveys), to name a few.

The Division's Geology Library has thestate's largest collection about thegeology of Washington, and more than1000 items are added each year. Ourlibrarian is knowledgeable and eager tohelp users find what they need. A fulllibrary catalog is online at http://www.dnr.wa.gov/geology/washbib.htm andthe geologic map index is at http://www.dnr.wa.gov/geology/mapindex.htm.

The library has many unique andexhaustive collections. For example, theperiodically updated U.S. GeologicalSurvey topographic maps are invaluablefor understanding river channelmigration, landform changes,development patterns, and land use.We have the largest collection ofWashington topo maps held anywhere.

Master's and doctor's dissertations andtheses are important original sources ofgeologic information but are usuallyheld only by the originating university.The library has copies of all of theseworks about Washington geology—more than 2000 of them—from alluniversities, internationally.

As populations grow and land-usepressures increase, government andindustry on all levels need quick accessto geologic and geotechnical informa-tion to address growth-managementissues and decide where to build roadsand other public lifelines. The GrowthManagement Act's mandate to use the‘best available science’ only increasesthis need. Our users often have verylittle time to do their studies and cannotafford to do original research. For them,time is money. They rely on existingreports, which they can find mostefficiently through us. Their work wouldbe much more difficult and expensivewithout ready access to our library.

PUBLICATIONS

Division cartographers and editorsprepare the results of mapping andother research for publication. We alsopublish the online newsletter, DGERNews, as well as occasional publicationssuch as geologic road guides, bestmanagement practices for surfacemining, and scientific papers. Ourcurrent goal is to make as many of ourpublications as possible availabledigitally on CD or on our website athttp://www.dnr.wa.gov/geology/.

8/05

The Geology Library can be a busy place. Many of thegeologic reports in the collection cannot be foundanywhere else. Photo by Karl Wegmann.