oa Key Factors and Mechanisms of Landslide Formation in Northeastern Nevada: A Case Study of the Spruce Mountain Landslide

Landslides are a significant natural hazard in the Basin and Range Province of the western United States, where an active tectonics, complex geological structure, and climatic conditions contribute to the development of landslide hazards. By integrating field observations, geological and geomorphological mapping, lithological analysis, and remote sensing data, the study aims to identify the main geological and geomorphological factors that influence slope failure and instability in the Spruce Mountain area. Structural morphometry was used to study the conditions for landslide formation and determine the tectonic and morphological factors of landslide formation. The development of morphostructural maps enabled the validation of conclusions regarding the total amplitudes of tectonic movements in the Spruce Mountain area and facilitated the identification of landslide material source zones. The Spruce landslide, based on the composition of the sediments, can be attributed to extremely rapid rock avalanches without signs of significant gradational layering. Approximate rate of movement was up to 3 m per second, which is considered as an extremely rapid mass flow. Its formation was caused by tectonic features with the significant faulting and a high rate of weathering processes that contributed to the preparation of the material for transportation. This landslide likely occurred at the boundary of the Late Pleistocene-Holocene (?). The findings contribute to a broader understanding of landslide dynamics in arid and tectonically extended regions such as Nevada.