Geologic Hazards

Geologic Hazards

Landslide on Arizona SR 87 Closes Highway

March 27, 2008 rockman Comments Off on Landslide on Arizona SR 87 Closes Highway

On March 21, 2008 a landslide caused the closure of Arizona State Route 87 between Payson and Phoenix near mile post 224. So far there are no official estimates as to the size, but based on aerial photos, it appears to be at least 50,000 sq-ft in plan. The offset at the head scarps was approximately 2-meters (6.6-ft) according to AZGS Geologists on site. It appears to have been a rotational slide as the toe of the landslide heaved the southbound roadway up by as much as 1-meter (3.3 ft). There was an existing soil-nail retaining wall on the slope that was destroyed by the slide as well.  Lateral deformations can be seen in photos of the median barrier and the roadway striping. The deformations extended into the northbound lanes as well. More photos and links after the break. (Photo by ADOT)

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Geologic Hazards

Landslide Blocks Road in LA, Inconveniences UCLA Hoops Fans

March 9, 2008 rockman Comments Off on Landslide Blocks Road in LA, Inconveniences UCLA Hoops Fans

Mud and debris from a small landslide closed a portion of Sepulveda Blvrd. In Westwood California on Thursday. The slide took out at  least one local resident’s backyard and was large enough to block several lanes of the roadway with debris up to 6-ft high in addition to knocking out several power poles and disrupting service. The material was cleared up by 10pm but not before it cause some inconvenience to UCLA basketball fans on their way to watch their team beat Stanford. The LA Times reports that there were questions about possible broken water lines, of course it is the old "chicken or the egg" argument that’s been seen before (including on a recent landslide) about whether the broken water lines contributed to the landslide, or the landslide caused the water line breaks. (Photo by Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)

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Geologic Hazards

New Orleans Levees Need to be Raised 11-ft

February 20, 2008 rockman Comments Off on New Orleans Levees Need to be Raised 11-ft

The US Army Corps of Engineers has issued a report that indicates the eastern portion of the levee system that protects Bernard Parrish will need to be raised by 11-ft to 29-ft to protect against the 100-year hurricane. Levees along Lake Pontchartrain were designed in the 1960s for what was then considered to be 200-yr and 300-yr hurricanes. Now they are judged sufficient for the 100-yr event. More at NOLA.COM.

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Geologic Hazards

Teenage Girl Buried Alive in Beach Bluff Landslide

February 20, 2008 rockman Comments Off on 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? 

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Geologic Hazards

Eruption of Tainted Water Could Innundate Leadville, Colorado

February 20, 2008 rockman Comments Off on Eruption of Tainted Water Could Innundate Leadville, Colorado

Local Leadville, Colorado officials are very concerned about a backup of heavy metal impregnated water that is backing up behind a 2.1 mile partially collapsed drainage tunnel. The volume of water is approximately 1 billion gallons or enough to fill 1,500 Oympic-sized swimming pools.Officials are very concerned about the potential for a catastrophic collapse. Source: CNN. (Photo by foto3116)

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Geologic Hazards

USDOE Problems With [Not] Storing Nuclear Waste

February 18, 2008 rockman Comments Off on USDOE Problems With [Not] Storing Nuclear Waste

More problems for the US Department of Energy related to the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository. The New York Times is reporting that the DOE is already 10 years behind in a commitment made to Power Companies to store their nuclear waste, and according to the DOE, it will likely be at least another 10 years before they are able to begin accepting waste for permanent storage. Who cares you ask? Well, the US has already payed out $342 million in 60 lawsuits filed by utility companies, and that total could reach $11 billion according to government estimates or $35 billion according to industry estimates before Yucca Mountain finaly opens and begins accepting waste. Source: New York Times by way of Ontario-geofish.

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Geologic Hazards

Famed Hole In Danger of Collapse

February 11, 2008 rockman Comments Off on Famed Hole In Danger of Collapse

How ironic. Just last night I posted photos and descriptions of 7 Amazing Holes I received as an email forward from a colleague. Today one of them is in the news. The "Big Hole" in Kimberley, South Africa is making city officials nervous. Apparently some new cracks have formed in the pit walls or somewhere, and officials have decided to shut down traffic on Bultfontein Road that passes within 18-m of the pit. Read on for Google Map and more details. (Photo by No One Nels)

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Geologic Hazards

Utah Poised to Adopt Geologic Hazard Ordinances

February 11, 2008 rockman Comments Off on Utah Poised to Adopt Geologic Hazard Ordinances

As I’ve reported previously, the State of Utah is in the process of adopting ordinances regulating the development of land that is susceptible to landslides and other geologic hazards. A new bill has been introduced in the Utah House that would give developers a recourse for appeal if they don’t like the decision of a local jurisdiction. More at the Salt Lake Tribune.

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Geologic Hazards

Allegations: Oregon Not Forthcoming With Landslide Hazard Information

January 25, 2008 rockman 2

Folks in Oregon are angry about a recent landslide and debris flow that closed Highway 30 and destroyed property in the town of Woodson. (Here is a powerpoint presentation by Bill Burns of the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries showing how the event happened). Some rather stinging allegations are being made that politicians withdrew a landslide hazard map from general use in 2002 for political reasons. That map or another one had characterized the area effected by the December 2007 debris flow as a "very high" or "extreme" risk of landslides. A very interesting article. 

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