A dramatic retaining wall failure and subsequent landslide last week damaged several cars and shut down a rail line in Baltimore, Maryland. The final failure was caught on video by a bystander. The landslide forced a number of residents to be evacuated from their homes.
[Source: See more photos from Baltimore Sun. Image: Landslide Blog]
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. […]
This is definitely a sad story, and one that highlights the importance of an adequate geological investigation when designing pipelines. A landslide cause a rupture in the Trans-Equador oil pipeline on May 31st. The volume […]
Another El Nino storm just moved through Southern California culminating in significant rainfall on Saturday producing mudslides and debris flows in the area hit by this past September’s Station Fire. More after the break. (Photo from Sacramento Bee, David McNew – Getty Images)
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