Investigation of Slope Failures in the Idaho Batholith (Classic Reprint)

Download or read book Investigation of Slope Failures in the Idaho Batholith (Classic Reprint) written by M. J. Gonsior and published by Forgotten Books. This book was released on 2017-10-29 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Excerpt from Investigation of Slope Failures in the Idaho Batholith Because of the increased and justified emphasis upon environmental degradation, proper use of the many millions of acres of forest watersheds requires careful planning. The skills of many disciplines and the combined knowledge that covers all aspects of this complicated ecosystem-the forest - are necessary to assure proper use of forest lands. The silviculturist, ecologist, hydrologist, engineer, and others, must all function as a team to develop and carry out plans for management of forest lands. The Idaho Batholith (fig. 1) is one of the most critical areas as to surface and subsurface stability erosion and landslides) in the Intermountain West; also, this area provides prime spawning and rearing grounds for the Pacific salmon, good timber-producing land and outstanding recreation Opportunities. Two major spawning rivers are the South Fork of the Salmon and the Selway Rivers. The Batholith contains some of the most rugged and pristine scenery in America and includes such well-known areas as the Selway - Bitterroot Wilderness Area, Salmon River Breaks Primitive Area, and the Magruder Corridor. In such areas, those who are charged with the responsibility of multiple use land management face their most serious and complicated challenges. Within the scope of present knowledge and technological skill, proper planning can assure many uses for much of this vast land area. However, much of the Batholith must wait for the results of research to provide additional management guidelines, and it may have to be managed for less than total resource potential if adequate environmental safeguards are to be applied. Considerable attention is currently being directed to the Batholith area. It contains valuable timber reserves as well as other resources which are important to the regional and national economies. However, many of its steep slopes are highly erodible and susceptible to landslides. More specifically, slopes are often greater than 60 percent-and are commonly composed of highly fractured and weathered granite overlain by thin layers of loose, cohesionless soils. Developmental activities, especially roadbuilding, increase the occurrence of landslides and provide large exposed areas from which sediment can readily be removed by normal erosional processes. Initial in creases in production of sediment have been measured and in some instances were more than a thousandfold greater than natural rates from undisturbed terrain. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.