Arizona Geological Survey released Part III of a blog series investigating landslides adjacent to I-17. The latest blog post focuses on the section of I-17 in the Verde Valley.
After cresting the Black Hills of central Arizona, northbound I-17 plunges nearly 2,000 feet to the floor of the Verde Valley (3,100 feet AMSL). On its descent it slices through roadcuts of basalt lavas, tephra beds, and sedimentary deposits of the Hickey Formation. Rock falls here are common but are confined to rockfall catchment areas behind Jersey barriers, thus mitigating impact to the roadway. [READ MORE]