Deer Run Heights
Landslide
Students in the Environmental
Science Program at JSC have initiated
research projects on the Deer Run Heights Landslide in
Jeffersonville, VT. This work is being conducted in association with
the Vermont
Geological Survey and George
Springston of Norwich
University. Some of the activities
include:
- Measuring the rate of erosion along the
slip face.
- Measuring the changing angles and distance
between trees on an active part of the slide.
- Measuring pore water pressure in four
monitoring wells.
- Measuring slip along layers using time
domain reflectometry in four monitoring wells.
- Monitoring local precipitation and
discharge along the Brewster River.
- Conduct seismic profiling along the
southern part of the ridge.
JSC Student
Papers:
Adam
Banks, 2009: Unstable
lake sediments of Deer Run Heights represent a potential landslide
hazard to the Cambridge Elementary School in Jeffersonville,
Vermont.
Jay
Cairelli, 2008: Downslope
movement of trees and unconsolidated sediment at the Deer Run Heights
in Jeffersonville, Vermont.
Michaela
Forsberg, 2007: Glacio-lacustrine
Deposits Create Landslide Hazards at Deer Run Heights in
Jeffersonville, Vermont.
Christine
Languerand, 2009.
Ed
Robbins, 2009.
Pictures of
fieldwork and installations (below):
Pictures
related to installation of four monitoring wells, three sediment
cores, and two time domain reflectometry wells in the Brewster
Uplands Community Trust Field (July 2009).
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Brewster
Uplands Community Trust Field
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Installation
of time domain reflectometry wells (July
2009).
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Geoprobe
hammering of 2-3/8" ID casing to 91'.
Video: hammering
the casing
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Casing
is flushed as hammering continues.
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Flushing
fluids recirculated in settling tank.
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Clean
water flush when drilling complete.
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Flushing
of well.
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Hand-bailing
of well.
Video: bailing
technique
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RG6/U Coleman
coaxial cable, and weight,
placed into well.
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Portland
cement pumped into casing
as casing is removed.
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Cement
pumping system.
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Casing
removed and slid off cable.
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Coaxial cable
installed in wells to be used for time domain reflectometry
using a Megger
CFL535F
cable fault locator. Installation and drilling by
Specialty
Drilling & Investigation.
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Continuous
split-spoon sampling and installation of monitoring
wells.
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Auger
drilling.
Video: description
of augers
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Hammering
a two-foot split spoon.
Video: hammering
the split spoon
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Split-spoon
tube.
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Shelby
tube sampling at 69-71 feet.
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Winter
layer in silty fine sand at 42-44 feet.
Video: opening
a split-spoon
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Jon,
Marjie, Les, and George on site.
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Five-foot
slotted screen piezometer.
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Six
feet of sand poured around slotted screen and capped with
two feet of clay.
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Monitoring
well capped.
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Well
head in place.
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Four
monitoring wells were installed; three wells were drilled
using split-spoon sampling. Installation and drilling by
Specialty
Drilling & Investigation.
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Pictures
related to initial topographic mapping and installation of stream
gages:
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George
and Ed install two stream gages; one uses pressure sensors
(HOBO
data loggers)
within a threaded steel rod, the other gage measures stream
stage in meters.
17 April 2009
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Ed
Robbins uses time domain reflectometry in order to identify
breaks, or kinks,
in RG-58u cable inserted in four monitoring wells.
17 April 2009
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Chris
Brookfield, Sam Hellman, and George Springston
initiate topographic mapping along the ridge.
Oct 2008
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Pictures
related to Spring melt 2008:
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Approximately
100 m3 sediment moved downslope; note school in
background.
12 April 2008
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Base of
slide seems to be assisted my the removal of sediment above
a significant silt
and clay horizon. The small cavernous pores were commonly
observed.
12 April 2008
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Water
permeates the top four meters of sands and conglomerates,
then reaches a silty-clay horizon. The water-rich
fine-grained sediment (including the silty-clay) flows
downhill allowing semi-consolidated slumping of the
sediments above. Click here
to see a short video.
12 April
2008
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Rip-rap
at the base of the Farara slide appears to be directing
water
away from the base of the slope. Stream gages will be
installed upstream from this location.
12 April 2008
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Jay
Cairelli
12 April 2008
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Expedition
Drilling, in association
with Wilcox
and Barton, graciously
provided the expertise required to drill four monitoring wells at the
site (May 2007).
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The
Geoprobe provided by
Expedition Drilling and Wilcox
& Barton
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Drill tip
and collection tube used for continuous
coring.
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Core
section exhibiting saturated and unsaturated sections (cm
scale).
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Micky and
George catalogue core samples.
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Piezometer
tip (30 cm) and coaxial cable attached (60 cm) to
polyethylene tubing.
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Bruce and
George inspect the
piezometer and coaxial cable assembly.
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Placing
the piezometer inside the drill tubes.
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Piezometer
and coaxial cable assembly
fed into monitoring well.
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Micky
Forsberg pours a casement of concrete sand mix
on top of a coarse sand that surrounds piezometer
tip.
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Finishing
off the caps on three monitoring wells.
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