12 January 2016

A major rockslide on US2 near Wenatchee

Posted by Dave Petley

A major rockslide on US2 near Wenatchee

The Washington State (USA) Department of Transport twitter account (@wsdot) has images of a major rockslide that occurred in US2 west of Waterville near to Wenatchee.  This is not a trivial event by any means:

Rockslide near Wenatchee

Landslide on US2 near to Wenatchee courtesy of Washington State DoT

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Rockslide near Wenatchee

Landslide on US2 courtesy of Washington State DoT

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Rockslide near Wenatchee

Landslide on US2 courtesy of Washington State DoT

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Looking at the third image, this is a complex wedge type failure on existing joints.  There appears to be weathering on the newly exposed surfaces.  Looking at the rest of the rock mass, the joint pattern is very complex, so this is a difficult slope to manage and mitigate.

Moving some of the large boulders is going to be a major task.