Thousands of cute, cuddly rabbits like the one pictured here are having quite an impact on the Scottish Island of Canna. These critters, estimated to number around 16,000 (compared to the human population of 12 on Canna). The rabbit burrowing was blamed for a landslide that blocked a road on the island, and the rabbits have created other problems, such as digging up bones in the local cemetery. Officials say the critters will need to be culled, much as they did with a rat infestation that affected the island in 2006. [Source: Yahoo News via USGS Landslide Events. Image: Freepix]
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SR 87 Landslide Presentation at Roads and Streets Conference
Last week was the annual American Council of Engineering Companies of Arizona Roads and Streets Conference in my home town of Tucson, Arizona. Its a transportation themed conference as you might guess, but there are usually a few geotechnical-type presentations. This year, there was an excellent presentation on the SR 87 Landslide that occurred about 1-year ago on the highway between Phoenix and Payson. The presentation was given by Keith Dhalen, PE with AECOM , Wayne Harrison, RG also with AECOM and Scott Neely, PE with Terracon . Read on for my recap of the presentation. (Photo by ADOT via AZGS)
Teenage Girl Buried Alive in Beach Bluff Landslide
A teenage girl strolling on the beach in Pacifica, California was buried alive by a landslide. She was buried up to her chest, and a passer-by dug her out with his bare hands while more soil and rock fell around them. Story at KTVU San Francisco. See a nice oblique aerial photo of the beach prior to the landslide here. Those slopes don’t look particularly stable to me but what do I know?