You are browsing the archive for Landslides Mudslides.
24 April 2009
EGU presentation on landslide fatalities in 2008
I thought that it would be helpful to make available my Powerpoint file for the presentation that I am giving on the occurrence of landslide fatalities in 2008. This presentation details the fatalities that I recorded on the database over the course of the year, providing maps and tables of some of the data. I hope that you will find it useful. The file should be visible below: http://www.authorstream.com/player/player.swf?p=179794_633761376305452631Uploaded on …
7 January 2009
An update on landslides in Beichuan
At the time of the Wenchuan earthquake I posted on numerous occasions about the landslides around the town of Beichuan. One of the concerns has always been the likely behaviour of the landslides during heavy rainfall events. As part of the forthcoming Sinorock 2009 conference in Hong Kong there will be a tour to the earthquake-affected area to look at and discuss the landslides. The organisers have put together a …
30 December 2008
Losses in catastrophes in 2008 – initial statistics from Swiss Re
Tropical Cyclone Nargis montage from the Brisbane Times Swiss Re Sigma has just released its initial statistics on losses in catastrophes in 2008. Of course it is important to understand that reinsurance look at catastrophes in a particular way, meaning that the statistics are weighted in particular to low frequency – high magnitude events, rather than iterative processes, and to losses causing a high level of financial loss. There is …
5 December 2008
November 2008 fatal landslide maps
So here are the scores on the doors for fatal landslides in 2008. First the statistics:Number of fatal landslides: 48Number of fatalities: 396. This is the map of the fatal landslides themselves (click on the map for a better view): As is normal for this time of year the spatial dsitribution is quite scattered, with slides occurring in SE. Asia, S. Asia and C./S. America. This year there has been …
20 November 2008
Images of landslides from the Wenchuan Earthquake
(In response to requests, I have edited the post to provide some comments on the images) I am in the middle of putting together a presentation on the impact of the Wenchuan Earthquake in China in May and thus have been looking for suitable materials. I stumbled across a fantastic Powerpoint presentation with images of the aftermath of the earthquake – this can be downloaded here. There are a number …
19 November 2008
Alesund landslide – the verdict
Back in April I posted extensively about a landslide that occurred in the town of Alesund in Norway. This slide occurred on 26th March, when a large block slipped into an apartment block, pushing it forward by up to seven metres and collapsing the lower floors. Five people were killed. This week, the outcome of the commission of inquiry has been released. The key points are as follows: Blasting of …
15 November 2008
October 2008 fatal landslide map
Rather later than is ideal (for which I apologise), here are the maps for fatal landslides in October 2008. First, the statistics:Number of recorded fatal landslides: 22Number of recorded fatalities: 179The average for the period 2002-2007 inclusive was 398 fatalities, excluding the impact of the Kashmir earthquake in 2005, so 2008 is considerably below the long term average. This is the map of the fatal landslides that I recorded (click …
31 October 2008
Did you hear the one about a goat in a landslide?
A bit of light relief over at the Highway 97 site in Canada, which continues to slip. Arthon have a pictorial report on their website of the rescue of a mountain goat that had fallen down the tension crack and become wedged 10 m below the surface (all images from the Arthon website): Fortunately, the goat (now named Houdini) was spotted and a rescue was put in place. Enter the …
30 October 2008
Landslides in the 29th October Pakistan earthquake
The picture of the level of destruction in Pakistan resulting from yesterday’s earthquakes remains slightly confused. The official death toll is now 215 people, but some reports suggest that the true number is about 400 as in smaller villages victims were buried before officials arrived. In terms of landslides, the picture is equally confused, but unverified reports indicate the following: Some reports suggest that a village called Chali Dam in …
Highway 97: test blast
The latest report on the Highway 97 problem in Canada (see earlier posts here, here and here) is as follows: The contractor, Arthon, released a statement to the press yesterday, the key points of which stated that “Highway 97 remains closed north of Summerland until further notice due to an unstable rock mass above the highway. The slope continues to move, therefore the highway is not safe to reopen. Safety …
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.
Recent Comments