Stabilization of a reactivated landslide near Wagon Mound on Interstate 25

Wagon Mound lies in north central New Mexico. The surrounding area is characterized by large volcanic buttes and lava flows that terminate in bluffs west of Interstate Highway 25 near a dry lake bed. Interstate 25 skirts the edge of a basalt-capped mesa whose perimeter is composed of landslide debris. One problem that arose during construction of the highway was a landslide condition which developed during excavation on the north end of the project. On February 4, 1970, during the final stages of excavation between stations 1 1306 and 1317, an ancient landslide was reactivated and movement and cracking were noted. On February 10, as the excavation continued, a small perched groundwater reservoir was breached and an estimated 10,000 gallons of water were released.