The Vajont Slide has been studied for over 60 years,<\/a> yet many open questions on the initiation, mechanics, and kinematics of the landslide remain. In our new new paper (Wolter et al.<\/em> 2015<\/a>) we have attempted to answer some of these questions using a multi-faceted approach focused on the geological and geomorphological context of this infamous event.\u00a0 This is an aerial image of the landslide, taken in 1964.\u00a0 Note the dam in the upper left of the image.\u00a0 The huge landslide is on the southern side of the valley.\u00a0 The stripping of vegetation on the northern side gives an impression of the size of the displacement wave generated by the Vajont slide.\u00a0 It is this displacement wave that caused over 2000 fatalities in the valley below the dam.<\/p>\n Aerial photograph of the Vajont slide in 1964 (headscarp in South), courtesy of the Friuli-Venezia-Giulia region.<\/p><\/div>\n .<\/p>\n Highlights of our paper includes the first detailed engineering geomorphology maps, pre- and post-event, of the Vajont Slide, allowing:<\/p>\n The discussion of the origin of the Vajont Gorge just downstream of the landslide, in which we show that there is evidence that suggests this important knickpoint originated due to slope deformation.\u00a0 In the paper we emphasise the importance of spatial and temporal damage within the prefailure rockmass, and in particular we show that:<\/p>\n All of this allows us to draw together a chronology of events for the Vajont Slide, which is summarised in the figure below:<\/p>\n Hypothesised schematic chronology of events leading up to the catastrophic Vajont Slide.<\/p><\/div>\n Thus, we suggest that he catastrophic event, likely triggered by repeated and rapid reservoir drawdown, was the culmination of slow gravitational slope deformation.<\/p>\n In the paper we also think through the key question of why the landslide occurred at this location.\u00a0 We propose that there was a unique combination of factors, including structural predisposition (folding and faulting), lithological units (weak clays vs. rock mass), glacial erosion and possible debuttressing, fluvial undercutting, weathering, and reservoir levels.<\/p>\n The broader implications of our paper are:<\/p>\n![\"Vajont](\"https:\/\/blogs.agu.org\/landslideblog\/files\/2016\/02\/16_02-Vajont-1.jpg\")
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![\"Vajont](\"https:\/\/blogs.agu.org\/landslideblog\/files\/2016\/02\/16_02-Vajont-2-e1456385120970.jpg\")
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