Interact with the NASA COOLR landslide dataset. Filter by event category and timeline to identify regional hotspots.
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Identify Risk Zones
Zoom into regions of interest. The heatmap visualizes event density across 156 countries, revealing concentration patterns.
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Get Detailed Analysis
Sign up to access individual event records, site-specific proximity reports, and 12-hazard climate risk assessments.
About the NASA COOLR Landslide Database
NASA’s Cooperative Open Online Landslide Repository (COOLR) is a global open-data project maintained by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center as part of the Global Precipitation Measurement mission. The database compiles landslide reports from published scientific literature, citizen science contributions, media reports, and government agencies into a single georeferenced dataset.
This landslide risk map visualizes 12,948 reports spanning 2000 to 2020. Each record includes the event’s geographic coordinates, landslide category (such as landslide, mudslide, rock fall, or debris flow), and year of occurrence. The full COOLR dataset contains additional fields including fatality counts, event triggers, size classification, and source documentation. These detailed fields are available through a free Continuuiti account.
Landslide events cluster heavily in regions where steep terrain meets high rainfall: the Himalayan arc (Nepal, India, Pakistan), Southeast Asia (Philippines, Indonesia), and tropical Latin America (Colombia, Brazil, Peru). Understanding these patterns is critical for physical risk assessment across infrastructure, real estate, and supply chain operations. For deeper analysis of what drives these events, see our guide to landslide causes and risk factors.
How Landslide Risk Relates to Climate Change
Rising global temperatures intensify the water cycle. IPCC AR6 projects that extreme precipitation events will become more frequent and severe under all warming scenarios, with the strongest increases in tropical and mountainous regions where landslide risk is already concentrated. The relationship between rainfall intensity and slope failure explains why certain regions appear as persistent hotspots on this landslide hazard map.
As precipitation patterns shift, slopes that were historically stable face new failure thresholds. Historical landslide data becomes not just a record of the past, but a baseline for projecting where risk is increasing. Climate risk modeling frameworks combine hazard event data with terrain, soil, and precipitation projections to estimate future exposure. Continuuiti’s climate risk platform evaluates landslide as one of 12 physical hazards for any location worldwide, combining terrain analysis with downscaled climate projections across multiple scenarios and time horizons to 2050.
Landslide Data Coverage
The landslide risk map includes 15 event categories from the NASA COOLR database. Here is the breakdown of the 12,948 events by category:
Category
Events
Share
Landslide
8,441
65.2%
Mudslide
2,408
18.6%
Rock Fall
897
6.9%
Debris Flow
272
2.1%
Complex
252
1.9%
Rotational Slide
188
1.5%
Other / Unknown
322
2.5%
Translational Slide
52
0.4%
Riverbank Collapse
44
0.3%
Snow Avalanche, Lahar, Creep, Topple, Earth Flow
72
0.6%
Peak recording years were 2010 (1,598 events), 2017 (1,461 events), and 2015 (1,387 events), reflecting the active curation period of the NASA Global Landslide Catalog.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a landslide hazard map?›
A landslide hazard map shows the geographic distribution of landslide events or susceptibility zones. This interactive landslide risk map visualizes 12,948 historical events from NASA’s COOLR database, showing event density as a heatmap across 156 countries. Hazard maps are used by engineers, insurers, and risk managers to identify areas prone to slope failure.
What areas are most at risk for landslides?›
Regions where steep terrain meets heavy rainfall carry the highest landslide risk. The Himalayan arc (Nepal, India, Pakistan) consistently records the most events, followed by Southeast Asia (Philippines, Indonesia, Myanmar) and tropical Latin America (Colombia, Brazil, Peru). Volcanic regions and earthquake-prone areas also face elevated risk.
What are the three main triggers of landslides?›
Rainfall is the dominant trigger, causing slope saturation and failure. Earthquakes destabilize terrain through ground shaking. Human activity, including deforestation, road construction, and mining, removes natural slope support and is an increasingly common trigger. Secondary triggers include snowmelt, volcanic activity, and coastal erosion.
Which US state has the most landslides?›
California, Washington, and Oregon experience the most landslides in the United States, driven by steep coastal terrain, heavy winter rainfall, and seismic activity. West Virginia and the Appalachian region also rank high due to clay-rich soils and steep hillsides. USGS estimates that landslides cause $3.5 billion in damage annually across the US.
How is landslide risk connected to climate change?›
Warming temperatures intensify the global water cycle, increasing the frequency and severity of extreme rainfall events. IPCC AR6 projects that heavy precipitation will become more common under all warming scenarios, particularly in tropical and mountainous regions where landslide risk is already concentrated. Historical landslide data may underestimate future risk as precipitation patterns shift.
Can I assess landslide risk for a specific property or site?›
Yes. Continuuiti’s climate risk platform evaluates landslide as one of 12 physical hazards for any coordinate worldwide. Assessments include terrain analysis, climate projections under multiple scenarios (SSP2-4.5, SSP5-8.5), and risk scoring across time horizons to 2050. Create a free account to access site-specific analysis.
