New White Paper on Earth Fissures

Download the paper at the ALSG site (still under construction), or from the Arizona Geological Survey’s site. From the preface:

The Arizona Land Subsidence Group (ALSG) was originally created by interested geological and engineering professionals as a technical forum to discuss the state of knowledge regarding subsidence and earth fissures in Arizona, and to share information and experiences. The Arizona Geological Survey (AZGS) subsequently requested that the ALSG serve as a technical advisory committee for their State-mandated Earth Fissure Mapping Program. The ALSG is a voluntary collaboration of professionals that includes representatives from AZGS, the Arizona Department of Water Resources (ADWR), the Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ), the Flood Control District of Maricopa County (FCDMC), the United States Geological Survey (USGS), Pinal County, the University of Arizona, Arizona State University, various utilities serving Arizona, and consulting geoscience and engineering specialists.

This white paper has been created by ALSG to help educate stakeholders and decision makers by describing the geological features and processes of land subsidence and earth fissures, and the hazards they create. This paper presents the current and future technical needs that exist in terms of basic knowledge, available data, and the state of professional practice.

The paper was a collaborative effort from the ALSG, of which I am a member. For the record, I didn’t work on the paper at all! Despite the group effort, special credit is due to Peter Kandaris of Salt River Project who spearheaded the effort. Well done Peter.