Landslides

[Robyn Appleton]

"The causes of landslides are not a mystery to mankind. Layers of rock and soil such that rain running along a clay or rock layer can create a slippery surface for the weight of the layers above it is a common cause. A rock jumble from previous mountain building, broken or fractured rock easily dislodged. We have stated that the earthquakes man experiences between the periodic passages of Planet X can be considered aftershocks from the last passage, and this is true of landslides also. Mountain building rumples the landscape, so the land is not flat but has steep ravines and hill sides. Older mountain ranges are recognized for their rounded or smoothed appearance, because of frequent landslides distributing the rubble.

"As we approach another passage, another Pole Shift, the pace of landslides has picked up. Why would this be? Plates under pressure will put pressure on regions that contain rumpled hillsides and deep ravines, as these give more readily than strictly flat land, thus act as a weak link. In addition, due to the wobble, the weather has gotten more extreme, with drought and deluge increasing in extremes. Dry ground, suddenly flooded with rainwater needing to seek its level as runoff, will create internal water slides between the rock and soil layers that constitute the rumpled hillsides. 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. "

ZetaTalk Chat Q&A: March 22, 2014

[Scott]

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

[Mark]

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.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

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

6 Die in southwest Colombia landslide

Published January 26, 2016

EFE

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.

[SongStar101]

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.

[SongStar101]

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.

[Howard]

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/

[Mark]

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...

[Howard]

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...

[Starr DiGiacomo]

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

Mudslide ruptures gas pipeline in central Bolivia

BOLIVIA RAINS/PIPELINE | 12 de Enero de 2016

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.

[Yvonne Lawson]

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...