Pipeline Things
Pipeline Things
Rhett Dotson & Christopher De Leon
Statistical Relationship Status? It's Complicated: Geohazards with Alex McKenzie-Johnson
46 minutes Posted Feb 18, 2026 at 11:00 am.
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Show notes
UFO sightings in New Mexico correlate with patents granted in the US. Popularity of the first name Alix correlates with carjackings in the US. Obviously, correlations can tell us a lot while also telling us nothing at all. In this episode of Pipeline Things, we dive into geohazards, geohazard statistics, and how the stories they tell aren’t always what they seem. 
Tune in as Rhett Dotson and Christopher De Leon return with The Dirt Merchant to discuss why shark attacks appear to rise with ice cream consumption, and what Alex’s PPIM 2026 paper tells us about the prevalence of landslides and hydrotechnical events over time. 
Highlights: 
The use and limitations of the PHMSA significant incident database. 
The impacts of data quality 
The key question: Are we getting better at managing geohazards? 
Is it too soon to tell if our geohazard programs are working? 
How consumer behavior affects industry patterns related to failures. 
Bonus: For other fun correlations, visit tylervigen.com/spurious-correlations. It’s a hoot and half if you’re a stat nerd like we are. 
Connect:    
Rhett Dotson    
Christopher De Leon    
Alexander McKenzie-Johnson  
D2 Integrity    
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