Reporter In Helicopter Pretty Sure Landslide Down There Somewhere
Geologic Hazards
Swiss halt search for landslide victims as more rockfalls expected
Swiss officials announced over the weekend that they would halt search operations for 8 missing hikers after a massive landslide near the small village of Bondo, Switzerland. Geologists toured the source area by helicopter and […]
Available Resources
Video: RPI Geotechnical Engineering Centrifuge
I stumbled across this video for the geotechnical engineering centrifuge at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Centrifuge testing is a popular way to economically test models at much higher loads and pressures than you would normally be able to in the laboratory. The goal is to more accurately represent the real world conditions. Click through for the video.
Geologic Hazards
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. […]