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

[Howard]

New Zealand Quake Causes 100,000 Landslides (Nov 14)

The now-named Kaikoura Earthquake triggered up to 100,000 landslides in Northern Canterbury and southern Marlborough.

The largest of them, brought down on the south side of the Clarence River mouth in the wake of the overnight 7.5 quake, brought down an estimated one million cubic metres.

Tonight, GNS Science reported that like other quakes, this one, first registering near Culverden, appeared to have involved jumping from one fault rupture to another in a complex pattern.

This compound style of rupture was a feature of the magnitude 7.1 Darfield quake of 2010 where up to eight neighbouring faults ruptured almost simultaneously.

At daybreak today three GNS geologists took to the air in helicopters to make observations of quake damage in the North Canterbury-Marlborough region.

They described the huge Clarence River landslide as the biggest landslide in New Zealand since the Young River landslide near Wanaka in 2007.

The number and distribution of landslides is considered consistent with the severity of the ground shaking.

They also observed numerous surface fault ruptures, blocked rivers, and a section of the main north-south railway line shunted sideways by at least two metres.

Numerous landslides were blocking main highways and rail tunnels, as well as a starling seabed rise on the beach.

Sources

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=1...

http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2016/11/14/kaikoura-earthquake-1/

https://twitter.com/lou_gordongreen/status/798011354548293632

http://info.geonet.org.nz/display/quake/2016/11/18/Landslides+and+L...

[KM]

https://watchers.news/2016/11/11/quick-clay-landslide-quebec-novemb...

Impressive quick clay landslide in St-Luc-de-Vincennes, Canada

An impressive quick clay landslide occurred in St-Luc-de-Vincennes, Quebec, Canada on November 10, 2016. Several homes were evacuated, although, luckily, no injuries were reported.

A massive portion of land fell into a stream that flows into the St. Lawrence River. According to media reports, the affected region is about 200 m (656.2 feet) wide. Several homes along the St-Joseph Row were evacuated.

Large quick clay landslide in St-Luc-de-Vincennes, Quebec, November 10, 2016. Image credit: Elizabeth Laplante (via Twitter)

Large quick clay landslide in St-Luc-de-Vincennes, Quebec, November 10, 2016. 

According to Dave Petley of The Landslide Blog (AGU), the landslide shape, of a narrow outlet and large bowl, along with the high mobility of the wet, muddy debris, indicates it was likely a case of classic quick clay landslide. No instability signs in the field have been detected at the site in 2013, according to images taken by Google Earth.

The site of the landslide at St-Luc-de-Vincennes, Quebec, Google Earth 2013 image. 

However, the expert noticed an active landslide is present at the toe of the failure, where the debris has entered the stream. This suggests the landslide has retrogressed and then triggered the runaway quick clay landslide.

[Starr DiGiacomo]

http://www.dolphnsix.com/news/1617212/least-dead-after-mudslide-bur...

Mudslide Buries Colombian Highway, Vehicles, Killing Several

Published Oct 27 2016 12:09 PM EDT

At least 7 people are dead in a 600-foot mudslide in Colombia.

Rescue efforts are continuing, with government officials reporting that at least six vehicles were buried on the highway.

The highway is expected to remain closed for days while rescue efforts and clean up continues.

A 650+ foot mudslide struck a stretch of Colombian highway Wednesday morning, killing at least 7, burying multiple vehicles and four lanes of highway, authorities said.

Search and rescue efforts were ongoing at the scene, near the village of El Cabuyal, where government officials said that at least 6 vehicles had been buried by the torrent of debris

A total of 9 people are still reportedly missing in the disaster. More than 50,000 cubic meters of land was displaced by the mudslide, which also took out multiple power lines en route to the highway.

It could take several days for the highway to reopen, government officials said.

The local government attributed the mudslide to recent rains in the area. Weather data is sparse in this particular region of Colombia, but nearby weather stations reported consecutive days of rain earlier this month.

The stretch of impacted highway connects the Colombian capital of Bogotá to Medellín, the capital city of the mountainous province of Antioquia.

[Tracie Crespo]

www.crcconnection.com/2016/10/08/dozens-missing-in-eastern-china-af...

Dozens missing in eastern China after landslides

• Author: Larry Hoffman

Oct 08, 2016, 17:50

"Now the whole family is safe, but 2 tonnes of rice that were drying outside has been lost", state run Xinhua news agency reported.

As of yesterday afternoon, 15 people had been rescued and 20 others remained missing.

At least 32 people are missing in south eastern China after heavy rains triggered two major landslides.

In Taiwan, five people died in falls and other accidents during the storm, and the bodies of three people were discovered in a home swamped by a landslide in southern Kaohsiung county.

The largest number of victims is in the province of Zhejiang, where the landslide has ruined 20 houses in Sucun village of Suichang County.

Xia Baolong, secretary of the provincial committee of the Communist Party of China, arrived at the village on Friday morning for rescue command and to comfort the affected residents and rescuers.

Megi made landfall earlier Wednesday in mainland China's Fujian province, less than 24 hours after it devastated Taiwan.

Mountainous Zhejiang, along with its neighbouring provinces, are frequently hit by typhoons at this time of year and are also highly susceptible to landslides. Several hundred rescue personnel had been dispatched to Suichang from around the area, the local government said. Taiwan's Central Emergency Operation Center noted around 4,300 people in temporary shelters, while more than 14,800 were evacuated from their homes.

Landslide slams into Chinese village was posted in World of TheNews International - https://www.thenews.com.pk on September 29, 2016 and was last updated on September 29, 2016.

Although her identity was not initially known, a person claiming to be a relative said the woman's husband had bought her the pork bun from FamilyMart, a local convenience store.

The heavy rains came with Typhoon Megi, which hit China on Wednesday.

Megi is the third typhoon to hit Taiwan in two weeks.

[Howard]

Famous Rock Archway Collapses in Morocco (Sep 25)One of two archways regarded as natural wonders collapsed at Morocco's Legzira beach.

A pile of red rubble was all that was left after the natural wonder near the city of Sidi Ifni, 93 miles (150km) south of Agadir.

Often cited as one of the world’s most beautiful beaches, Legzira is famous for sunsets punctuated by the rock structures jutting out from the cliffs.

They were formed over thousands of years by erosion.

It is not known what caused the collapse. A large crack appeared on the southern face of the arch in March after a chunk of it fell off, Ifnipress reported.

The second, larger arch remains standing further along the beach.

Source

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/sep/25/morocco-legzira-beach...

[Derrick Johnson]

Incredible avalanche tumbles down a mountainside in India – and intrigued researches run TOWARDS it in their excitement .

• Footage shows avalanche tumbling down mountain in India
• Researchers gasp in awe at the incredible avalanche
• And rather than running away they run towards it 

This is the shocking moment researchers in India ran towards an avalanche rather than trying to escape it.

Footage shows a group of researchers standing on a mountain in Zanskar, India.

An avalanche begins to pour down a nearby mountain, leading them to gasp.

One of the researchers whispers 'whoa' as the avalanche begins to fall.

Another says: 'That's insane' while a third whispers: 'S***'.

'It's so big' says another as they move to get closer to the avalanche. 

The terrifying behemoth makes its way all the way down the mountain.

But one very brave researcher runs to a nearby rock to get a closer look of the avalanche, defying danger.

It is not known if anyone was injured in the avalanche

Source: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3776131/Incredible-avalanch...

[Starr DiGiacomo]

A compilation

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2ELkCuIuGA

[Howard]

Gigantic Rockslide in Northern Italy (Aug 18)

An extremely large rockfall occurred over two days between 18th and 20th August in the northern Italian Dolomites.

The estimated volume of displaced rock is between 600,000 and 700,000 cubic metres.

The rockfall was located at Kleine Gaisl (Piccola Croda Rossa), a 2859-meter mountain in the Braies Valley in the South Tyrol in the northern Italian Dolomites.

The rockfall had been anticipated as a large tension crack had been observed prior to the collapse event.

Roman Valentini, a mountain guide who works in the area had this to say about it:

"I’ve never seen anything quite like it. It looked like a river in spate, with rocks half the size of houses tumbling down."

Sources

http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2016/08/23/kleine-gaisl-1/

http://www.planetmountain.com/en/news/alpinism/dolomites-impressive...

[Howard]

Massive Landslide Blocks River in India, Thousands Evacuated (Aug 13)

Thousands of homes are at risk after a massive landslide dumped tones of debris and created a dam on the Kanka River in Sikkim on Saturday morning.

The artificial lake, estimated to be 150 ft wide, is likely to burst and would release an enormous volume of water into the neighboring Teesta River causing a catastrophic flood for people living downstream.

Five houses were immediately submerged and around 300 meters of road was buried as a result of the landslide.

An alert has been sounded in the low-lying areas on both sides of the border and entire villages are being evacuated.

Once the dam starts leaking, thousands of residents in Teesta Bazaar and 29 Mile will have only a few hours to get to safety. Evacuating these densely populated areas will be a logistical nightmare.

Aug 16 Update

Sources

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Dam-burst-threat-after-lan...

http://www.business-standard.com/article/pti-stories/landslide-bloc...

http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2016/08/13/dzongu-1/

http://savethehills.blogspot.ca/2016/08/landslide-dam-in-north-sikk...

https://www.facebook.com/TheDarjeelingChronicle/photos/a.3181390649...

http://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2016/08/19/dzongu-landslide-dam/

[KM]

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/aug/07/six-dead-in-mexico-as...

Six dead in Mexico as Tropical Storm Earl triggers landslides

Authorities continue to monitor rising rivers and saturated soil that could cause additional landslides

 Soldiers help dig out damaged homes in Veracruz, Mexico. Six people died in the state when their homes were buried by landslides. Photograph: Eduardo Murillo/AFP/Getty Images

Six people died in eastern Mexico when they were buried in landslides caused by intense rainfall from the remnants of now-down..., an emergency services official said.

The six deaths involved two separate families in eastern Veracruz state, emergency services spokesman Manuel Escalera said.

Tropical storm Earl bears down on Mexico after tearing through Belize

He added that local authorities were continuing to monitor rising rivers and saturated soil that could trigger additional landslides.

Earl’s maximum wind speed dropped to 30mph (48km/h) by Saturday afternoon, according to the Miami-based National Hurricane Center.

It was located approximately 105 miles (169km) east of Mexico City after pounding portions of Central America and crossing Mexico’s Yu...over the past few days.

Forecasters were still warning the storm could produce dangerous flash floods and mudslides with rainfall up to 18 inches (45 cm) in some areas in the Mexican states of Guerrero, Hidalgo, Oaxaca, Puebla, Tlaxcula and Veracruz.

The Mexican government discontinued the tropical storm warning and there were no coastal warnings or watches in effect.

Before crossing into Mexico, Earl battered Belize, smashing car windows and punching holes in the roofs of Belize City’s wooden houses. It also downed trees and flooded parts of the coast.