Arizona DOT is undertaking a project to remove hazardous rock formations above Highway 77 between the towns of Globe and Winkelman, AZ (east of Phoenix). On November 29/30, The blasting work inadvertently dislodged an 18 foot boulder from about 150 feet above the roadway. The highway was closed at the time for the blasting operation, but it did take crews longer than planned to clear the road as a result of having to break up the massive boulder. [Source: Read more in the ADOT Press Release. Image: ADOT]
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Giant Boulder Smashes Through Italian Farm
An Italian farmer and his family had an unbelievably close call with some house-sized boulders. You have to see the pictures to believe it. The boulders were dislodged during a landslide on January 21 in Northern Italy. One of the boulders smashed through the barn and courtyard of the farm and cut a swath through their vineyard before stopping near a boulder from some previous rockfall / landslide event. That older boulder is even bigger, about the same size as the entire farmhouse and big enough to be seen on Google Earth! See below or download the KMZ file.
More Photos
[Editor] See more after the break. [/Editor]
Landslides in China – Sichuan and Guangxi
In Sichuan Province, China, they were still in the recovery process from the devastating 2008 earthquake when a series of landslides, rockfall, mudslides and flooding has hit the region. Dave’s Landslide Blog has excellent coverage as usual on the slide pictured here, which blocked a major road, hindering rescue efforts. (Photo Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)
A remarkable video of the aftermath of a bridge destroyed by one of these rockfall / landslide events is shown below. The destruction is pretty profound. (Via Geology.com)
Also on Dave’s blog, a landslide in Guangxi caused a train to derail, killing 4 people and injuring 50. My heart truly goes out to the people of those portions of China, particularly in Sichuan as they have been through so much.