An important part of a flexible net rockfall catchment fence system is the foundation. Catchment systems have been growing in capacity, able to stop larger and higher energy rockfall events. The trend for foundations has been for them to become larger and more rigid, according to the Association of Geohazard Professionals (AGHP). Members of the AGHP are interested in feedback from owners and engineers experienced in foundation design and their performance in order to synthesize an empirical study of catchment fence foundations and their design. More details can be found at the link below.
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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. […]
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]