No Picture
Geologic Hazards

Landslides in China – Sichuan and Guangxi

In Sichuan Province, China, they were still in the recovery process from the devastating 2008 earthquake when a series of landslides, rockfall, mudslides and flooding has hit the region. Dave’s Landslide Blog has excellent coverage as usual on the slide pictured here, which blocked a major road, hindering rescue efforts. (Photo Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

A remarkable video of the aftermath of a bridge destroyed by one of these rockfall / landslide events is shown below. The destruction is pretty profound. (Via Geology.com)

Also on Dave’s blog, a landslide in Guangxi caused a train to derail, killing 4 people and injuring 50. My heart truly goes out to the people of those portions of China, particularly in Sichuan as they have been through so much.

[…]

NASA JPL Gulf Stream III research test bed with Synthetic Aperture Radar pod underneath.
Miscellaneous

Good Stuff From Ontario-geofish

NASA JPL Gulf Stream III research test bed with Synthetic Aperture Radar pod underneath. This is not the first time I’ve posted links to blog posts from the Ontario-geofish blog by Harold A. Some times I blatantly rip him off, but hopefully he doesn’t mind since I try to credit him whenever I post about an article he found. I guess he has more time for surfing since he’s retired! 🙂 Here are a couple of his recent posts that I found interesting. (Image by NASA)

[…]

No Picture
Geologic Hazards

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.

[…]

Geologic Hazards

Home Owners Insurance Doesn’t Cover Geologic Hazards

Anyone who owns a house or is looking to buy one should be aware that nearly all home owner’s insurance policies will not cover them in the event their home is damaged by common geologic processes including floods, landslides, earthquakes, subsidence, and expansive or swelling soils. (Image by Geology.com)

[…]

Geologic Hazards

Utah Considers Stricter Rules for Development in Landslide Prone Areas

The Utah Governer’s Geologic Hazards Working Group, which includes no one from the private sector, is considering some model legislation that can be adopted by cities and counties to make it more difficult for developers to build in landslide prone areas. Also, among other things, the group may recommend that Utah adopt stricter grading requirements based on the experiences of California. Read on for more info.

[…]