Watch: Massive landslide in Manali, National Highway blocked

http://indianexpress.com/article/india/india-news-india/watch-massi...

The vehicular traffic on the road came to a halt and hundreds of vehicles were stranded on either side of the blockades.

The Kiratpur-Manali National Highway was on Monday blocked due to a massive landslide near Hanogi in Mandi district of Himachal, about 180 Km from here. The vehicular traffic on the road came to a halt and hundreds of vehicles were stranded on either side of the blockades.
Additional District Magistrate Mandi Vivek Chandel said the Public Works Department (PWD) has pressed its teams into action to clear the blockade by deploying heavy machinery and JCBs. “Some breakthrough was made around this evening and some of the light vehicles were allowed to cross the damaged road portion but shooting stone from the mountain compelled the authorities to stop movement of the vehicles as this posed a grave risks to the lives of the passengers”, he told the Indian Express over phone. “Huge boulders suddenly started rolling down and within minutes the entire hill-lock came down sliding but fortunately no vehicle was crossing the road at that point of time and as such there was no loss of human life,” said state Public Works Department (PWD)officials.

Terrifying moment landslide crashes into roadside houses and pushes them towards busy traffic in China

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/peoplesdaily/article-3354385/Terrif...

Drivers in Congjiang County, south China were metres away from being flattened when a landslide pushed two houses onto a busy road.

The incident was captured on November 8 by a surveillance camera that looks onto the road, reports The People’s Daily.

Luckily the owners were not at home. They have been relocated and there were no casualties reported.
As the cars are driving, on the left hand side of the footage small pieces of rubble can be seen crumbling from a house.

It only takes 30 seconds before both building collapse creating a huge pile of rubble on the road.

At first, cars drive around the falling rocks, but they soon came to a halt when several people on the street waved their hands and shouted at them to stop.

According to the report, the landslide was caused by continuous rain in the area.

One house was made out of bricks and the other was wooden, the force and weight from the mud and rocks was so strong they both collapsed.

Local authorities and traffic police rushed to the scene as soon as the buildings collapsed, and the road was cordoned off for traffic control.

Since the incident, dangerous areas have been blocked off and experts are continuously monitoring the activity of the mountain where the landslide came from.

Residents are being told not to go near the danger zones and drive carefully.

Catastrophic Lake Drain in Northern Canada (July 2015)

A lake in Canada's NWT burst through its melting embankment and sent tens of thousands of cubic meters of water crashing into a neighboring valley resulting in catastrophic flooding.

In a video released on Wednesday by the territorial government, the lake can be seen breaching a retaining wall weakened by thawing permafrost and dumping half its contents in a waterfall nearly five stories tall.

The drainage from the nameless lake, which is perched in the hills around the arctic hamlet of Fort McPherson, flowed several miles downstream into the Mackenzie River Delta and caused a slow slide of mud and debris that engulfed nearly two kilometers of the nearby landscape.

In June 2015, the NWT Geological Survey released a warning that the lake would fail catastrophically by the end of the year. On July 15, the slumping permafrost that held back the unnamed lake finally gave way.

Sources

https://news.vice.com/article/that-lake-that-was-going-to-fall-off-...

http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2015/12/14/fort-mcpherson-a-cata...

http://www.thebigwobble.org/2015/12/avalanche-buries-houses-on-sval...

Avalanche buries houses on the Svalbard archipelago in the heart of the Norwegian Arctic: Unkown how many people missing

Several people were injured and several others missing on Saturday (Dec 19) after an avalanche buried about 10 houses on the Svalbard archipelago in the heart of the Norwegian Arctic, local officials said.
"Several people have been injured and hospitalised.
Some people are also missing," the region's government said on its website.
"All available human resources are mobilised for the rescue operation."
A spokesman for the rescue services said four adults and two children were hospitalised but that their injuries were not life threatening.
Around 10 brightly-coloured wooden houses, typical of the style found in the archipelago, were buried by the avalanche which happened at around 11am local time.
Witnesses said the snow had shifted the houses set on hillsides about 20m.
One resident, Ms Kine Bakkeli, told NRK public television that she had managed to escape through a window.
"It's complete chaos here," she said. Rescuers, police and residents using spades raced to clear houses buried under a thick layer of snow in the hope of finding the missing.
It was not known how many people were missing.
A team of doctors was planning to set out from the Norwegian city of Tromso for Longyearbyen, Svalbard's main town.
Emergency accommodation has been set up in a youth centre and the town's church.
Weather conditions have been harsh since Friday with authorities warning people to take care in high winds.

Landslide Buries Buildings in China’s Shenzhen

http://www.wsj.com/articles/landslide-buries-buildings-in-chinas-sh...

At least 18 buildings were buried at an industrial park in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen.

Some 22 buildings have collapsed in a landslide at an industrial park in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen.
About 900 people have been evacuated, with four people pulled alive from rubble with minor or no injuries, the local government said. No fatalities have been reported.
Shenzhen's fire brigade said it was working to free other trapped people. At least 27 remain missing.
Two workers' dormitories are among the affected buildings.
Shenzhen's public security bureau posted a notice online saying that eight hours after the landslide, 21 men and six women were unaccounted for, AP reports.
An area of 20,000 sq m (24,000 square yards) was covered with soil, the Public Security Bureau's firefighting bureau said.
Ren Jiguang, the deputy chief of Shenzhen's public security bureau, told state broadcaster CCTV that most people had been moved to safety before the landslide hit.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-china-35144579

Detecting Landslides from a Few Seismic Wiggles (12/18/15)
http://www.ldeo.columbia.edu/news-events/detecting-landslides-few-s...

See ZT quoted on Landslides blog mainpage:
Is there an early warning system that mankind could use? The trembles that soil about to slide emits could be detected, yes. These are not earthquakes, and have their own frequency.
http://zetatalk.com/ning/29mr2014.htm

Article highlights:

A 200 million ton landslide landed on the toe of Tyndall Glacier and in the water of Taan Fiord on Oct. 17 local time in Icy Bay, Alaska. It was detected by seismologists on the other side of the country. (NSF Polar Geospatial Center)

The rumbling started across Icy Bay at around 8:19 p.m. on Oct. 17, 2015. In the span of about 60 seconds, 200 million tons of rock roared down the side of Alaska’s Taan Fiord valley and crashed onto the toe of Tyndall Glacier and into the water, setting off a local tsunami big enough to register at the nearest tidal gauge 155 kilometers away.

No one was near the glacier to witness the massive landslide—the largest detected in North America since the collapse at Mount St. Helens—and it almost went unnoticed. Almost. Its signature appeared almost simultaneously in seismograms monitored by the Global CMT Project at Columbia University’s Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory on the other side of the country.

Over the last six years, Lamont seismologists Göran Ekström and Colin Stark have been perfecting a technique for picking out the seismic signature of large landslides from the stream of seismic data from earthquakes and other activity around the world. The details they are able to extract could one day help governments sound tsunami warnings, help rescuers find landslide-struck villages faster, and warn of risks such as landslide-dammed rivers that could soon burst through.

When computers detect earthquakes, they look for an abrupt start to seismic activity, typically a sharp, high-frequency burst. Landslides have a different signature that often goes undetected.

“Landslides start very gradually. They grow and they decay over the time period it takes for the mass to go all the way down, so this would be a minute or maybe two,” Ekström said. To pick out landslides, the scientists look for long-period seismic waves—seismic wiggles with a period of 50 seconds or so.

From those waves, Ekström and Stark are now able to discern the size of the landslide, which direction it was moving, its momentum, velocity and acceleration, as well as the precise time that the landslide struck. The data can usually get them within a few kilometers of the precise location, and satellite images—when clouds aren’t obstructing the view—can provide confirmation. Stark presented their new landslide discovery from Taan Fiord and described how they determine the forces involved in greater detail during the American Geophysical Union meeting today in San Francisco.

Comparison of the seismic signatures of a landslide and earthquake from events in the Himalayas on May 5, 2012. (Colin Stark and Göran Ekström)

The team at Lamont has analyzed about 50 massive landslides over the past six years, including several that had never been reported. Landslides associated with earthquakes can be difficult to pick out from all the seismic noise accompanying the slipping fault, but other landslides can be isolated. ...

An island in Taan Fiord, about 10 km from the landslide, shown by satellite in 2014 (left) and a few days after the landslide and tsunami (right). (GeoEye, Colin Stark)

“For the first few years, we were a little reticent to say we detected these giant landslides that no one else had noticed. How could they not notice?” Stark said. “It took us a while to be confident, but from analyzing about 50 of these, we have been able to constrain the physics and get the numbers—momentum, kinetic energy—we get dynamics that are impossible to get any other way. We have improved understanding of the physics of landslides.”

Fatal Landslide in Southern Peru (Dec 22)

A large landslide hit near the town of Tutumbaru on the road between Ayacucho and San Francisco, burying a boom truck and killing the driver. The body of the driver was later recovered but another person has been reported missing.

Approximately 12,000 cubic meters of mud and debris collapsed into the valley below.

Source

http://www.andina.com.pe/agencia/noticia-continua-limpieza-via-ayac...

Massive Landslide in Southern British Columbia (Dec 16)

An earthquake last week in the B.C. Interior may have set off a large-scale landslide in the Whistler backcountry, according to local safety officials.

The slide took place last Wednesday, Dec. 16 on Fingerpost Ridge, a sub-ridge of Mount James Turner, east of Lesser Wedge Mountain. Early analysis indicates the slide was roughly three to four kilometres long and 0.75 kilometres at its widest point.

No threat to the public has been reported, although the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) is urging backcountry users in the area to use caution and be aware of unstable slope conditions.

Ryan Wainwright, emergency manager for the SLRD, said it's likely a 3.6-magnitude earthquake that struck near Kamloops in the early hours of Dec. 16 set off the slide.

"We don't usually dedicate a lot of resources to (geological events) that don't have an impact on people, but I do know that it's an unusual time of year to have a landslide that's triggered by anything other than an earthquake," Wainwright said.

The size of the slide came as a surprise to Whistler avalanche safety expert Wayne Flann.

"I've never seen something like this happen since I've been here, where a huge ridgeline collapses and creates a huge landslide like that," he said. "It's quite a big event."

Source

http://www.piquenewsmagazine.com/whistler/officials-say-earthquake-...

Oregon: Landslide buckles Hwy 42, closing road indefinitely

http://koin.com/2015/12/26/landslide-buckles-hwy-42-closing-road-in...

ROSEBURG, Ore. (AP) – The Oregon Department of Transportation says a landslide has buckled Oregon Highway 42, also known as the Coos Bay-Roseburg Highway.

The Oregonian reports the roadway in southern Oregon is expected to be closed indefinitely near the border of Coos and Douglas counties.

Authorities say the 200-to-300-foot-long slide has covered most of the two-lane state highway with mud and rock.

Jared Castle of the Oregon Department of Transportation says the roadway will be closed for at least a week, but it’s too early to say for certain.

The slide happened on Thursday afternoon on a section that has been involved in an effort to straighten out some severe curves along the Middle Fork of the Coquille River.

Heavy rain this month saturated the ground, defeating efforts at erosion control.

New landslide sweeps through Myanmar jade mine

http://news.yahoo.com/deadly-landslide-hits-myanmar-jade-mine-03533...

Rescuers were searching through mud and rubble on Saturday after a new landslide buried workers -- possibly dozens -- in a remote jade mining region in northern Myanmar, the second such incident in just over a month.

The landslide took place on Friday afternoon in Hpakant, Kachin State, the war-torn area that is the epicentre of Myanmar's secretive billion dollar jade industry.

"The rescue process has now started and we are searching for dead bodies but we can't tell the numbers yet," Nilar Myint, an official from Hpakant Administrative Office, told AFP.

An AFP photographer on the scene said mechanical diggers had been brought in to sift through a huge pile of debris that had slid down a steep hillside.

Locals report as many as 50 people might have been buried by the wall of mud and stones.

But a second official involved in the rescue operation downplayed that number.

 

Miners ride on a truck near a jade mine in Hpakant, Myanmar's Kachin State (AFP Photo/Ye Aung Th …

"According to what officials from nearby villages have told us, just three or four people are missing at the moment," Myo Thet Aung, also from the Hpakant Administrative Office, told AFP.

By mid-afternoon Saturday officials said they still had not found any bodies.

The same area was hit by a massive landslide last month that killed more than 100 people. Locals says dozens more have died throughout the year in smaller accidents.

The region is remote, with little phone coverage and poor roads making it difficult to obtain precise and swift data after such incidents.

Those killed in landslides are mainly itinerant workers who scratch a living picking through the piles of waste left by large-scale industrial mining firms in the hope of stumbling across a previously missed hunk of jade that will deliver them from poverty.

Myanmar is the source of virtually all of the world's finest jadeite, a near-translucent green stone that is enormously prized in neighbouring China, where it is known as the "stone of heaven".

The Hpakant landscape has been turned into a moonscape of environmental destruction as firms use ever-larger diggers to claw the precious stone from the ground.

But while mining firms -- many linked to the junta-era military elite -- are thought to be raking in huge sums, local people complain they are shut off from the bounty.

In an October report, advocacy group Global Witness estimated that the value of Myanmar jade produced in 2014 alone was $31 billion and said the trade might be the "biggest natural resource heist in modern history".

Much of the best jade is thought to be smuggled directly to China.

With little help from authorities, Hpakant community groups have pooled limited resources to help workers injured in the accidents which have become commonplace as the diggers creep closer to villages.

Heroin and methamphetamine are also easily and cheaply available on Hpakant's dusty streets, a side effect of Myanmar's massive narcotics trade.

Locals have launched desperate campaigns to try to persuade Myanmar's quasi-civilian government, which replaced outright military rule in 2015, to force mining firms to curtail their rapidly expanding operations.

But their pleas have so far fallen on deaf ears.

Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy swept landmark November 8 elections and will form a new government early next year.

But it has not yet outlined any firm plans for the jade trade beyond pledges for a more equitable allocation of profits from the country's natural resources.

Analysts say reform will be difficult given the entrenched military interests in the trade and the remoteness of many of the mines, some of which are in the hands of ethnic rebel fighters.

Huge Jurassic cliff landslide exposes hundreds of prehistoric fossils from 65 million years ago

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/huge-jurassic-cliff-landslide-...

A Jurassic cliff landslide has exposed hundreds of prehistoric fossils from 65 million years ago sparking a rush from hordes of eager fossil hunters.

The huge land mass in the village of Charmouth collapsed into the sea last week, bringing the remains of extinct sea creatures known as ammonites to the surface.

Prized for their intricate spiral shells, ammonites are sea molluscs that became extinct around the same time as the dinosaurs.

Most of the remains discovered are centimetres across, but a few lucky treasure hunters have been unearthing samples measuring a couple of feet in size.
Other fossil hunters are finding fish and marine reptiles that became trapped in layers of mud millions of years ago.

Tony Gill, from the Charmouth Fossil Shop told the Western Morning News: "I looked across the beach the and realised it looked very different.

"It's the biggest fall I've seen down here for years, if not the biggest. Now we need the tide to come in and wash the clay."

Mr Gill said the landslide was so big it would take years before the larger blocks of the 1,000 tons of cliff that had come down were eroded by the sea.

It means that for the foreseeable future, there will be a steady supply of fossils for locals and visitors, some of whom are travelling from hundreds of miles away.

Woman tells how her car was left hanging in mid air after being hit by 100-ton landslide

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/woman-tells-how-car...

JANE Else's Nissan Micra was forced across the road and over the ­barrier, with only snow poles ­stopping it from plunging down the steep embankment.

A WOMAN yesterday told how her car was forced over a barrier by a landslide and left hanging in the air.

Jane Else was driving on the A83 at the Rest and Be Thankful in Argyll when 200 tons of rubble came crashing down the hillside.

Her Nissan Micra was forced across the road and over the ­barrier, with only snow poles ­stopping it from plunging down the steep embankment.

The mental health nurse said: “One minute the road was OK and the next it was like a concrete ­barrier appeared out of nowhere.
“The car was forced across the road, turned around and shoved up on the barrier.

“The back end was ­sitting on one of the snow posts. That was the only thing that stopped me going down the glen.”

She was driving to ­collect a friend from ­Glasgow airport at the time of ­Wednesday ­morning’s landslip. The road ­reopened the next day.

Jane, 50, has been recovering at home in Lochgilphead after being released from hospital in Paisley on Hogmanay.

She said: “I’ve been lucky that I’ve only got severe bruising and a hairline fracture to my sternum. I’m very lucky to have survived.”

UK: Teessiders urged to avoid popular coastal route after cliff landslip near Staithes

http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/teessiders-urged-av...

Staithes Coastguard warn walkers after large section of the cliff at Port Mulgrave collapsed into sea - Sections of Cleveland Way footpath affected

Teessiders are being urged to stay away from a popular coastal walking route due to a landslip.

Staithes Coastguard has warned those walking on sections of the Cleveland Way footpath to keep away from the coast near Port Mulgrave.

A large section of the cliff has collapsed into the sea on Saturday.

In a statement, the Coastguard said: “We fear there could be further collapses as the coast along the popular long distance walking route is now potentially very unstable, there is currently no access onto the beach at Port Mulgrave.

“Because of these landslips, the surrounding area may well be very unstable.

“We are urging everyone not to cross the cordons or go to the cliff edge further along and try and look down at the collapsed cliff.

Furious commuters face travel chaos after LANDSLIDE at London-bound station

FRUSTRATED rush hour commuters face travel chaos this morning after a LANDSLIDE saw debris fall on to the track at a London-bound station.

Following a landslip at Barnehurst station on Monday evening, trains will not be running on the Bexleyheath line.

Operator Southeastern could not immediately confirm how much rubble fell on to the tracks. 

Some trains have been diverted via Sidcup and Woolwich Arsenal. 

A very limited bus replacement service is running on Southeastern between Dartford and Lewisham via Bexleyheath.

This is not the first time a landslide has caused travel chaos in Barnehurst. In 2014, all services were suspended as Network Rail carried out emergency repair work. 

Read more: http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/633753/Landslide-Barnehurst-statio...

http://www.worldnewsenespanol.com/309_hispanic-world/3557719_mudsli...

Mudslide ruptures gas pipeline in central Bolivia

A natural gas pipeline. EFE/File

La Paz, Jan 12 (EFE).- A mudslide triggered by torrential rains ruptured a gas pipeline in Cochabamba, a region in central Bolivia, but the leak has been controlled, state-owned oil company YPFB said Tuesday.

The leak occurred in the early morning hours of Tuesday, YPFB CEO Guillermo Acha said in a Twitter post.

An alert was declared on the Carrasco-Cochabamba pipeline due to the drop in pressure, "which immediately activated the closing of the valves," Acha said.

Domestic gas supplies in western Bolivia will not be affected because although volumes will drop while repairs are being done, "transportation is being optimized" via the gas pipeline that runs into the highlands, YPFB said.

Two 26-person emergency teams will be deployed all day in the area where the mudslide occurred.

Two people were killed when a vehicle crashed into the Carrasco-Cochabamba pipeline in Cochabamba on Nov. 28.

The crash damaged the pipeline and a fuel spill was contained in the hours after the accident.

Rockslide Closes Hwy 2 in Washington (Jan 10)

A major rock slide closed a 9-mile stretch of Highway 2 in central Washington over the weekend.

The rock slide buried the highway with over 10 feet of debris just east of Orondo, northeast of Wenatchee.

Highway 2 is the northernmost route across the Cascade Mountains that remains open year-round in Washington state, connecting the Everett area with points in Central and Eastern Washington.

Sources

http://kval.com/news/local/rock-slide-closes-highway-2-in-central-wash

http://mynorthwest.com/625/743442/Earthquake-tracker-for-Seattle-an...

UK LANDSLIPS - these from the last week:

A 'worrying' landslip sent mud and rock cascading down the mountainside in Blaina and residents are frightened

http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/worrying-landslip-sent...

Probe follows landslip near Skipton Castle

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/probe-follows-landslip-near-ski...

North-east road blocked due to landslip

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/scotland/scotland-traffic...

A59 amid landslip fears after 'ground movement'

http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/news/environment/a59-near-harrogate-...

Teessiders urged to avoid popular coastal route after cliff landslip near Staithes

http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/teessiders-urged-av...

Landslip blocks north-east properties as wind and rain continue to batter area

https://www.pressandjournal.co.uk/fp/news/north-east/795418/section...

Hexham to Prudhoe rail landslide: 'Thousands of tonnes' on line

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-35260766

Southeastern trains delays: 200 tonnes of dirt falls onto tracks at Barnehurst station causing misery for commuters

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/southeastern-delays-commut...

Southeastern trains delays: Services cancelled by SECOND landslide in three days

http://www.standard.co.uk/news/transport/southeastern-train-service...

River-Blocking Rockslide Floods Switzerland Town (Jan 11)

A massive rockslide occurred on a cliff in the town of Wolhusen, diverting the Kleine Emme River through the town, causing extensive damage.

Around 3:00am Monday morning, an overhanging cliff ledge plunged into the river creating an effect like a meteorite impact.

The rockfall was estimated at around 5,000 cubic metres, with a reported maximum travel distance of 200 metres. 

Buildings and vehicles far away from the rockfall showed impact damage from debris.

The rockfall dammed the Kleine Emme river. Water and sediment rushed down the main road of town, flooding homes, a school and industrial buildings.

The flooding caused the failure of three substations, with a transformer station in Sandmätteli left in standing water.

Sources

http://www.luzernerzeitung.ch/nachrichten/zentralschweiz/lu/luzern/... (translated by Google)

http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2016/01/15/wolhusen-1/

What is Up in Disko-Uummannaq Bay Greenland January 9-16, 2016

http://blogs.agu.org/fromaglaciersperspective/2016/01/17/what-is-up...

The arrow at location 1# is an area of sea ice across the fjord in front of Jakobshavn Glacier on January 9, that disappears by January 13. Location #2 is at the fjord mouth and location #3 is at the sea front south of Disko Island on January 9.  There is no real cloud cover evident in any of images.  Maybe low level fog in places. By January 11th a plume is sweeping from Point 2 towards Point 3. Notice the sea ice in the fjord disappears by January 13th and the ice front is pushed back in a concave fashion at Point #3. This indicates a clear push of water driving sea ice offshore.

Mysterious Earth crack terrifies residents of Aponte, Colombia

http://strangesounds.org/2016/01/mysterious-earth-crack-frightens-r...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zJB2ajDb9FY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TqxBcl6DnE

What started with a small fissure in early 2015 is today a giant mysterious earth crack nearly a kilometer in length that crosses the village of Aponte, Colombia.

The crack has caused enormous damage to roads and houses in the village of Aponte in Nariño. At least 210 families are affected by this geological anomaly.

The unexplained crack in the ground is 1,200 meters long and 50 centimeters wide. At some points its depth reaches up to four meters.

The enormous crack has caused large damage to roads in Nariño. Only in Aponte 170 houses are cracked and have to be evacuated.

At least 210 families are currently affected by the growing fissure.

Results show that since December 24th the the fissure increases by 20 to 50 millimeters.

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2016/01/26/6-die-in-southwest...

6 Die in southwest Colombia landslide

At least six people died and three more have gone missing in a landslide that crashed onto a rural village of the Colombian municipality of Cumbal in the southwestern province of Nariño, emergency management officials told EFE on Tuesday.

The landslide occurred in the village of Miraflores, located some eight hours on foot from Cumbal, where emergency management teams and firefighters went to take care of the injured, officials said.

Due to the distance and the rough terrain, there is still no official report from the rescuers, nor have the identities of the fatalities nor the causes of the landslide been announced.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3413272/Terrifying-moment-h...

This is the moment a trickle of stones on an Andes mountain trek turned into a huge landslide leaving hikers running for their lives.
Julian Insarralde heads up a mountain trekking team who guide visitors around the famous range on the Argentina/Chile border.
However, in this shocking footage he captured on a three-day trek, explorers were forced to scramble to safety when tons of rocks tumbled down the mountain side.

The video begins by showing climbers leaping over a rock-slide of around three-foot, giving each other a helping hand to jump over it.
The mood at this point is relatively calm, with laughing heard as the hikers appear to be pleased to see the flow.
However the width of the slide continues to widen, thus making it more of a challenge for the group to step onto safety.
Then comes the warning sign from one of the group perched at the top of a raised platform, and what follows is terrifying.

Erosion from waves prompts evacuation of cliffside homes in California (1/26/16)
Authorities blame the erosion on El Niño-related storm waves.

Authorities have evacuated several homes on a cliff in Pacifica, Calif., due to erosion caused by waves fueled by El Niño.

City officials have called a state of emergency and have asked residents of at least three apartment complexes on the cliff to leave as soon as possible, most recently on Monday, when 20 residents were told their apartments on 310 Esplanade Avenue were "yellow-tagged," indicating the building was no longer safe.

"Cavities in the bluff are forming to the south, west and north of the building and these critically over-steepened slopes are anticipated to fall back to more stable profiles in the next several days," CNN quoted Chief Building Official Mike Cully as saying.

The erosion has already caused the back yards of the apartments, located a few miles from San Francisco, to fall into the sea. Residents were allowed to re-enter their homes only to gather belongings.

Michael McHenry, who lives in the apartment building, told CBS San Francisco a balcony from the building next door collapsed onto the rocks below on Saturday.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2016/01/26/Erosion-from-waves-prompt...

Pacifica Coastal Erosion Caught on Drone Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CzrymETf9hY

Mysterious burning crack releases gas in Chimborazo, Ecuador

http://strangesounds.org/2016/01/mysterious-burning-crack-releases-...

A mysterious burning crack is releasing gases since two weeks in a small village named Columbe situated in the Ecuadorian Andes.

The steam started coming out of the earth about 15 days ago after a controlled burn of weeds…

A column of steam and gas continues to emanate from a mysterious crack that opened up in a hill near Columbe, in Chimborazo, Ecuador.

The area has been evacuated because it is still unknown if toxic gases are released by the unexplained underground emanation.

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/Sliding-House-Torn-Down-in-San...

Sliding House, Sold for $2M, Demolished in San Francisco

A house that sold for $2 million last year had to be demolished before it slid into other homes Thursday night, according to inspectors

A San Francisco home with sweeping ocean views that sold about two months ago for more than $2 million was demolished Thursday after a crack was found in the retaining wall.

The family that bought the house in October has not moved in yet, but was told by engineers that they would have to do an emergency demolition after the house moved more than a foot in just four days, putting neighboring houses in danger.

Martell, as well as other neighbors, had called the Department of Building Inspection to report a growing gap in the home's driveway in the sidewalk, and a massive crack in the exterior wall.

Inspectors say the house is on an active landslide.

City workers worried the crack could cause the house in the city’s Sherwood Forest neighborhood to slide, so the Department of Building granted an emergency demolition permit before it slid into another home. The house moved 14 inches in a one-week span, according to inspectors.

Inspectors said five other homes could also be in danger.

"It's for everyone's safety," Martell said. "God forbid that the house slides down the hill into somebody's bedroom."

Martell is trying to figure out who will be paying the demolition and rebuilding costs, but first the cause has to be determined.

The NBC Bay Area chopper caught demolition crews at work Thursday afternoon, as the house was slowly reduced to a pile rubble.

Downslope, water can be seen pouring out of the hillside. Other neighbors have also received notices to have their houses inspected by the city.

"The water pressure just pushed up the dirt, and the gravel moved by six inches or so," said Cal Nakanishi, who owns  ahome nearby. "It's doubled the width since yesterday."

No one is sure where the water is coming from or what it will cost to prevent more damage.

Demolition crews were back Friday morning to finish the work. They plan to leave the foundation in place, hoping that it will stop the hillside from moving.

At least 2 dead in Guangxi landslide (2/8/16)

TWO people have been confirmed dead and four others remain missing after a landslide destroyed a building in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region early Monday morning.

Emergency response office in Du'an Yao Autonomous County under Hechi city received information at 3:25am Monday that a two-story building in Fude village collapsed in a landslide.

Rescuers rushed to the scene and have recovered two bodies. Four people are believed to be still trapped in the rubbles.

According to local sources, it didn't rain when the accident happened. The cause is being investigated.

http://www.shanghaidaily.com/national/At-least-2-dead-in-Guangxi-la...

Guangxi

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/travel_news/article-3447916/Insid...

Inside the eerie abandoned Greek village that's slowly sliding down a mountain (and the former residents still pay property tax)

• Ropoto was once a thriving village in central Greece until a landslide in 2012 rendered all buildings uninhabitable
• Over 300 families were forced to move out of their homes as the houses began to slip down the mountain and crack 
• A recent tour during a documentary showed a ruined church, a school and a hotel that has crumbled into disrepair

This was once a picturesque Greek village - but it now lies forgotten and abandoned after a landslide a few years ago.

In 2012, the once-bustling Ropoto was turned into a ghost town when homes and buildings started to slide down the mountain.

Over 300 families were forced to move out of their homes and the plight of the village was left in the hands of nature. 

Ropoto was once a happy and peaceful Greek village - but now lies forgotten and abandoned due to a landslide a few years ago

In 2012 the once-bustling Ropoto was turned into a ghost town when homes and buildings started to slowly slide down the mountain

Over 300 families were forced to move out of their homes and the plight of Ropoto was left in the hands of nature

Flimsy foundations and steep inclines have been blamed for the disaster, which was first initiated by the village unable to push rainwater out to the surrounding stream. 

A 12-minute documentary produced by non-profit international Greek news website GreekReporter.com shows homes and communal properties sitting askew on the hills, rendered uninhabitable.

Landslide at Yaglıdere, Giresun, Turkey on 4 February, 2016.

Source

http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2016/02/18/yaglidere-landslide-1/

Landslide blocks road between Tyee and Umpqua (2/17/16)

A rock slide blocked Tyee Access Road 15 miles west of Sutherlin between the communities of Tyee and Umpqua in Douglas County, the Oregon DOT reports.

...Douglas County Public Works got a report of the rock slide from a Douglas Electric Cooperative crew around 3 p.m. Tuesday.

No one was present during the landslide, and no one was injured.

The cause of the slide has not yet been determined, public works said. ...

http://kval.com/news/local/landslide-blocks-road-between-tyee-and-u...

Sutherlin

http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2016/02/18/landslide-injures-... 

Landslide injures 25 in central Peru

Lake Chelan - Washington

http://www.lakechelanmirror.com/main.asp?SectionID=5&SubSection...

Dry landslide sweeps Annapurna South; missing locals come into contact (2/23/16)

A dry landslide struck the base of Mount Annapurna South at Narchyang VDC – 1 of Myagdi district of western Nepal on Monday night.

The local people of this region have been reeling under the threat of possible consequence of more landslides and floods.

As the Ghlemdi Khola, a local river of the region is blockade completely due to the landslide; the people of the region have a fear that the blockade water would be turned into floods.

As the dry landslide occurred without any pre-signals, entire areas of the region including Narchyang, Dana, Bhurung, Tatopani, Shikh, Ghaar, Beg and Dawa VDCs of the Myagdi district have been mostly affected. The areas are enshrouded in dust.

The local people are not able to come out of the house and travel here and there due to the dust particles, the police reached there to rescue the people have said.

http://reviewnepal.com/national/dry-landslide-sweeps-annapurna-sout...

https://thehimalayantimes.com/nepal/annapurna-south-dry-landslide-m...

NEPAL: Narchyang landslide caused M 3.8 tremor

http://myrepublica.com/society/story/37607/narchyang-landslide-caus...

POKHARA/MYAGDI, Feb 23: The massive landslide that hit Narchyang area near the Annapurna South Peak in Myagdi district at around 3 am on Tuesday caused a magnitude 3.8 tremor, according to the National Seismological Center (NSC).

"The dry landslide produced a magnitude 3.8 tremor. Small landslides do not create tremors of this magnitude," said Lok Bijaya Adhikari, chief of the center.

According to him, a hill that had developed cracks due to an earthquake of May 24 collapsed in Ramche-9 of Beni-Jomson road section. "We cannot consider the tremor caused by a landslide as earthquake. Landslides and earthquakes produce different jolts," he clarified.

Shree Kamal Dwivedi, senior divisional engineer at the Department of Water Induced Disaster Prevention, said that huge landslides have been occuring along the Annapurna ridge. Landslides in the mountains are particularly huge," he said.

Thick clouds of dusts produced by the continuous landslides have affected normal life in Narchyang, Dana, Bhurung, Tatopani, Shikha, Ghar and Dowa VDCs. DSP Bishwa Raj Khadka, chief of District Police Office (DPO), Myagdi, informed that Nepal Army and Police personnel are having difficulties reaching the uplands due to the thick dust and haze.

Five people had gone missing after the landside but they later came in contact with the relatives, informed the DPO.

Landslide near Heceta Head Lighthouse State Park closes U.S. 101 until further notice (2/28/16)

The "significant slide," at milepost 178, 11 miles north of Florence, has blocked both lanes of traffic with more than 150 cubic yards of material and several large trees, according to ODOT public information officer Angela Seydel.

Crews are working to identify the cause of the slide.

http://www.oregonlive.com/pacific-northwest-news/index.ssf/2016/02/...

More on the Elk City, Idaho landslide on Feb 18.

“We were just up there doing some routine road maintenance,” said ITD transportation technician Bret Edwards.  The video initially just shows rocks tumbling down the hillside onto the highway. Then a larger piece of the hill begins to move, and you can hear Edwards shouting as he runs away from the massive landslide. The entire hillside sloughs off and the camera spins around.  When all was done, dirt, rocks and trees covered a 500-foot stretch of the road about 40 feet deep."

Source

http://www.idahostatesman.com/news/nation-world/national/article626...

Second hole opens in popular Queensland camping spot (3/1/16)

Just months after a sinkhole swallowed a car and a campsite near Rainbow Beach in Queensland, another hole has formed nearby in a spectacular case of erosion.

The hole –  described as a “near-shore landslide” – appeared at Inskip Point today.

It was triggered by the “undermining of part of the shoreline by tidal flow, waves and currents”, a Department of Parks and Wildlife spokesperson said.

No vehicles or property have been reported damaged during the formation of the hole.

In September last year, a sinkhole at the same area devoured 200m of beachfront, part of a nearby camping ground and number of vehicles and tents with it.

It was estimated as being larger than a football field and three metres in depth.

A report stated that the sinkhole was not formed as a result of a sequence of earthquakes around the Fraser Coast but by “turbulent tidal flows”.

http://www.9news.com.au/National/2016/03/01/15/41/Second-hole-opens...

(3/7/16)

Nineteen people in Bolivia have been killed in floods and landslides since the start of the year.

Heavy rains in La Paz are causing landslides and mudslides while in the Altiplano drought like conditions are ruining crops.

The village of Jupapina, near La Paz, was recently evacuated after a landslide destroyed homes and businesses.

Fourteen families have had to flee the village near La Paz.

http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/El-Nino-Blamed-for-Bolivia-La...

Jupapina, La Paz, Bolivia

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mB3TLqUGRE

Two dead, five missing in Congo after collapse at Glencore mine (3/8/16)

http://www.nyooztrend.com/trending/366348-landslide-kills-7-chinese...

Three Trapped After Landslide Hits Hotel in Resort Town

http://jakartaglobe.beritasatu.com/news/three-trapped-landslide-hit...

Three people have been trapped under rubble for more than 24 hours after a landslide struck the Club Bali Hotel in the resort area of Cipanas in Cianjur, West Java, in the early hours of Wednesday (08/03), an official said.

According to online news portal Detik.com, hours of rain on Tuesday afternoon brought down the entire 60-meter cliff behind the hotel at 0:30 a.m. The landslide also knocked down a five-meter water tank made of concrete that slammed into several rooms, trapping a dozen hotel guest beneath the rubble.

A joint rescue team consisting of officers from the National Police, Indonesian Military (TNI), National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) and the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) managed to evacuate some of the victims but three are still trapped as of Thursday morning.

The trapped victims are identified as Budi Tanuadi, 52, his wife Meilanawati, 52, and Bun Susanto, 35

Meanwhile, the other eight victims, including three children, who were rescued earlier, are now receiving medical treatment for their injuries at the nearby Cimacan Public Hospital. All of the victims are believed to be from Jakarta, a two-hour drive away.

Landslide Pummels Road Maintenance Truck in Northern California (Mar 11)

A state roads worker was given quite a scare Friday after he was dispatched to clear a mudslide on Highway 1 in Mendocino County and a second slide toppled his dump truck.

The unexpected wall of rock and soil poured down a rural hillside around 3 a.m., pushing the truck — and its lone occupant — on its side against a guardrail. On the other side of the rail is a very steep slope to the beach.

“He was able to climb out of the truck afterward, unharmed, just very shaken up,” said Caltrans spokesman Phil Frisbie, Jr. “On the other side of that guardrail, it is a very steep slope to the beach.”

The rugged stretch of Highway 1 about five miles north of Westport remained closed Friday afternoon while state geologists evaluated how the landslide might be cleaned up.

The truck driver was with a maintenance fleet out of Fort Bragg responding to a different slide in the same area when the landslide struck.

Sources

http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Storm-watch-Scary-moments-as-...

https://kobi5.com/news/close-call-for-truck-driver-23592/

Rockslide in Spain Forces 180 to Evacuate (Mar 12)

Spanish officials say at least 180 people have been evacuated in the northern coastal city of Ondarroa after a rock cliff partially collapsed, threatening a row of newly built apartment buildings.

Mayor Zubeltz Bedialauneta says experts had warned that a rocky cliff behind the new apartments had shown slippage after nearly a week of heavy downpours and it finally began to give way on Friday afternoon. He says the local government decided to evacuate residents Saturday after boulders struck the rear of the buildings.

He says there's still a danger that the rest of the cliff could collapse onto the apartments.

City spokeswoman Leire Beitia says the latest tests showed "the state of the cliff face has worsened alarmingly."

Source

http://www.ctvnews.ca/world/rockslide-in-spain-forces-180-to-evacua...

Care Home Perched On Precarious Cliff After Landslide (Mar 10)

A massive landslide has left a brand new care home teetering on the edge of a steep cliff with several of the rooms there rendered uninhabitable.

The Cheval Roc Residential Home in Jersey opened to residents just last week, but already faces an uncertain future following the cliff collapse.

Elderly residents at the Cheval Roc Residential Home on Jersey woke up to the terrifying scene on Thursday last week, just days after they moved in.

Tonnes of land and mud was swept away as the northern shore of the island was hit by heavy rain and 75mph winds.

Ten pensioners who moved in to the property - which opened as a care home last week after previously being used as a hotel - will remain in their new residence for the time being.

Source

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/12193690/Crumbling-cliff-lea...

Landslide blocks Batote - Kishtwar highway

http://www.greaterkashmir.com/news/chenab-valley/landslide-blocks-b...

INDIA  The Batote- Kishtwar Highway, connecting twin districts of Doda and Kishtwar with rest of the state, was closed again on Sunday morning when a huge landslide blocked the road at Ragi-Nullah - 21 km from Doda.

After remaining closed for 18 hours due to landslide and shooting stones at half-a-dozen places, the road was opened for traffic yesterday afternoon.

Today morning, a massive landslide and a huge boulder blocked the road near Ragi-Nullah on Batote-Doda stretch.

More than 150 passenger vehicles and those carrying essential commodities were stranded on both sides of the highway.

“The machines have reached the spot but the boulder can be removed only after blasting it," said SSP Doda Zahid Naseem Manhas.

“Shooting stones and torrential rains are hampering the restoration work but hopefully the road will be cleared by today afternoon,” he said.

http://strangesounds.org/2016/03/road-collapses-northern-california...

And suddenly the road collapsed in California.

A section of the 3rd highway between the settlements of Trinity Center and Coffee Creek (Trinity County) disappeared after the heavy rains that softened the ground on March 15, 2016.

Well too bad for those using the street. They will have to drive a 200-mile detour.

But if you have a four-wheel drive vehicle you can use the icy Trinity Mountain Road.

This will take up to eight weeks for traffic flow to be restored on State Route 3, with complete repair taking up to three months.

Massive landslide destroys road leading to Belaga

http://www.theborneopost.com/2016/03/15/massive-landslide-destroys-...

MALAYSIA: The town of Belaga is now totally cut off due to a massive landslide in several areas along the 37km Mejawah-Belaga Road.

The landslide has decimated the road some 15km from the town, effectively cutting off any motorists from using it.

According to Belaga assemblyman Liwan Lagang, the landslide occurred on Monday night and continued until Tuesday morning due to heavy downpour in the area over the past 24 hours.

“I am seeking immediate assistance from all the relevant authorities especially from JKR to assist in the diversion works of the affected areas as soon as possible as Belaga Town now is totally cut off from the outside world,” Liwan told The Borneo Post today (March 15).

He added that he has sent a letter to Infrastructure Development and Communications Minister Dato Sri Michael Manyin for immediate assistance and a copy of the letter has been sent to the chief minister’s office.

Liwan said an estimated 18,000 people especially those residing in Belaga Town are now affected by the landslide.

The video below uploaded to the Fire and Rescue Department’s Operations Centre Facebook page shows the road leading to Belaga crumbling away.

Road to nowhere: Dramatic moment enormous landslide blocks a motorway in China

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3498671/Road-Dramatic-momen...

The huge landslide blocked a national motorway in Hunan Province, China
Earth and poured onto the road, sending up clouds of dust
A queue of cars were forced to turn around but no one was injured

Imagine you're driving along a road one minute... and the next it's gone.
Motorists in China experienced this today when a major landslide blocked a national motorway.
Dramatic footage filmed in Yiyang, Hunan Province today, shows masses of clay and sand flowing down from a slope to block the road.

A queue of cars line the road as an avalanche of earth pours onto the highway.
Clouds of dust fill the air as the landslide covers the road.
Trees too slide by - almost comically - before toppling forward as the mass of earth slowly comes to a halt.
Faced with no other option the cars begin to turn around as the clip ends

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/article-3500386/Milan-San-Remo-cyc...

Milan-San Remo cycling race rerouted after massive landslide near Genoa

• Landslide forces Milan-San Remo race to be extended by four kilometres
• Several cars were wrecked by falling rocks near the town of Arenzano
• Frenchman Arnaud Demare eventually triumphed, with Ben Swift second 

Published: 11:48 EST, 19 March 2016 | Updated: 11:51 EST, 19 March 2016

A massive landslide caused the Milan-San Remo race to be re-routed on Saturday.

The first of the five so-called monument races was diverted between Genova Voltri and Arenzano, taking the peloton on to the A10 autostrada and adding four kilometres to the original 291km distance.

The landslide crushed several cars, leaving rocks and wreckage strewn across the road which was originally meant to host the race. 

Washington Neighborhood at Risk of Massive Landslide (Mar 18)

Chelan County Emergency management officials say a neighborhood near Wenatchee is at risk of a massive landslide at any moment.

Huge cracks are developing in the ground in a neighborhood near the Mission Ridge Ski Area. Water and power have been shut off to the Whispering Ridge Neighborhood.

Neighbors in the area have been asked to evacuate as the ground continues to shift and officials try to figure what has caused the potentially deadly disaster.

In the last week, the shifting ground has damaged the water line more than once. The county didn't think it was safe to put heavy machinery in the area to fix the line, so the water is shut off.

Neighbors who live in Whispering Ridge are so concerned they fear an "Oso-like catastrophic landslide".

Just above Wenatchee, the Whispering Ridge neighborhood provides a mountain top perspective. It's why Elliott Nelson and his wife built their retirement home there.

"It's gorgeous," Nelson said. "It's very quite here. It's very relaxing."

Bur for some time Nelson has been watching his neighborhood split in two.

"Every day that I went down the driveway I saw it getting worse," he said.

Chelan County EMA says unstable soil in the area caused a water main to rupture. It was repaired, but ruptured again on Wednesday. Crews determined the shifting land made it unsafe to fix.

"It's very unstable," said Rich Magnussen with Chelan County EMA. "We have significant ground movement in the area."

A geotechnical company has been hired to study the area and what they've found has forced the county to warn and evacuate the neighborhood.

"Our biggest concern is life safety, " Magnussen said. "We don't want anyone to get hurt or have any fatalities on this."

Residents in 26 houses have been advised to leave. Roughly a dozen could take a direct hit from what has been described as a "potential massive landslide." Two homes have already been declared unsafe to live in.

On Thursday, a home with elderly residents was evacuated. But Nelson is one of a few residents who decided to stay.

"There's no place that you are safe from anything," he said.

Officials say so far Nelson's land is not moving. Experts say the hillside could give way with little or no notice.

Sources

http://komonews.com/news/local/officials-chelan-county-neighborhood...

http://www.kiro7.com/news/risk-of-catastrophic-landslide-forces-eva...

http://mynorthwest.com/11/2936227/Risk-of-catastrophic-landslide-fo...

http://gbtimes.com/china/massive-landslide-caught-camera-central-china

Massive landslide caught on camera in central China