10 May 2017
Geiranger Fjord in Norway: the spectacular rockslide video
Posted by Dave Petley
Geiranger Fjord in Norway: the spectacular rockslide video
A spectacular video was posted on both LiveLeak and Youtube yesterday showing a rockslide on the flanks of the Geiranger Fjord in Norway on Monday:
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The accompanying text states merely that:
“My school went on a Mountain trip when suddenly we heard loud noises. We SAW big blocks of rocks falling down into the Fjord and were amazed by it!”
NRK has an article (in Norwegian) that provides a little more detail, noting that the slide generated a displacement wave about 1 metre high that damaged some docks at Geiranger. The event was registered on the national seismic monitoring network across Norway, suggesting that the volume was not insignificant:
Seismic record from the Geiranger Fjord rockslide on Monday, via NRK.
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There are a couple of interesting elements to this rockslide. The first is the timing – yet again we see a major rockslide occurring in the spring, again without an obvious trigger in terms of a seismic event or heavy rainfall. This is not unusual, and of course it may be associated with now and ice melt as temperatures rise after the winter.
Second, the video shows the mobility of a small proportion of the blocks that have detached in the Geiranger Fjord event. Take a look at this still from the video:
A still from the video of the spectacular rockslide at Geiranger Fjord in Norway, via Youtube
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Note the splashes a considerably ahead of the main landslide dust cloud, which presumably mark the impact on the water of individual blocks. Only a small proportion of the blocks travel this far, but they are a nice illustration of the extreme end of the mobility distribution.
Major rockslides are of course nothing new in Norway, and not far from this site is the Akernes landslide, which is considered to be a significant hazard that is closely monitored.
Dave Petley is the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Hull in the United Kingdom. His blog provides commentary and analysis of landslide events occurring worldwide, including the landslides themselves, latest research, and conferences and meetings.
I am watching a movie about a Geiranger Resaerch Station Geologist (Geiranger Fiord in Norway) stationed at that site and I am wondering if this is a story based on actual events taking place there or is it strictl fiction ?
Nein. Keine Fiktion. In Norwegen kommt es immer wieder zu Bergstürzen. Das Åkernesetfjell am Geirangerfjord ist sehr instabil und könnte theoretisch jederzeit in den Fjord stürzen und eine Flutwelle bis 80m Höhe auslösen!
Yesterday I saw the movie about the colaps of the mountain and seems quite possible.I do not know about tsunami,80 m. are not a joke,but land sliding is shure.Actually so far this never happend,hope never would.
I watched that today “the wave” it’s a good movie
I just watched it. Very good movie.
Watched movie , hope not based on a true story, tragic and gripping movie .
Icy Bay (Alaska) 2015 megatsunami. They happen.
Also in Alsaka, the 1958 Lituya Bay earthquake and megatsunami? The rockslide resulted in a megatsunami that washed out trees to a maximum elevation of…
524 meters (1,719 feet) at the entrance of Gilbert Inlet.