Not too much to say about this, but check out the photo. The entire westbound portion of US Highway 52 near the Ohio River was closed last week as a house-sized boulder and other rockfall debris landed on the roadway. Crews anticipated it would take several days to clear the material and reopen the road. [Source: WLWT News via USGS Landslide Events. Image: Kentucky Transportation Cabinet via WLWT]
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Rockslide Closes I-40 in Western North Carolina
A massive rockslide closed a busy interstate route last week near the border between Tennessee and North Carolina in Pigeon River Gorge. This area has had landslide problems in the past. In 1997 a rockslide in the same area closed the freeway for approximately 3 months. (Photo from Landslides Under a Microscope Blog, original source not cited)
I have yet to see volume estimates, but The Charlotte Observer quoted a highway patrol officer who was at the scene:
He said the roadway is covered by a gigantic mound of debris, from pebbles up to house-sized boulders. The pile is 40 to 50 feet high, Williamson estimated, and hundreds of feet long.
More info and video after the break. […]
Rockfall Hazards Overview by Colorado Geologic Survey
The Colorado Geologic Survey has a very comprehensive overview of the geologic hazard of rockfall in all its many forms in their latest issue of RockTalk newsletter. The entire 24-page newsletter is devoted to various aspects of the problem, mitigation options and case studies all with excellent photos. I highly recommend that you check it out. Click through for the link. (Photo by CGS)