rockfall

A giant boulder smashes through a barn of an Italian farmhouse
Geologic Hazards

Giant Boulder Smashes Through Italian Farm

February 3, 2014 rockman 1

A giant boulder smashes through a barn of an Italian farmhouse

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]

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TRB Rockfall Characterization and Control
Available Resources

Rockfall: Characterization and Control

May 8, 2012 rockman Comments Off on Rockfall: Characterization and Control

This fall, TRB will release Rockfall: Characterization and Control, which will address rockfall hazard identification and evaluation, investigation process, mitigation options, and maintenance and management programs. The 400 page publication will include a DVD with […]

Frame grabs from a video of a rockslide on US Highway 64 in the Ocoee River gorge in Tennessee on November 10, 2009
Geologic Hazards

Video: Rockslide on U.S. Highway 64 in Tennessee

November 11, 2009 rockman 1

Amazing video of a rockslide as it happened yesterday along U.S. Highway 64 in the Ocoee River gorge in Tennessee. TDOT crews had almost finished removing rockslide debris from an event earlier in the day when a second slide occurred, blocking the road again. That looks like a pretty planar joint set dipping right into the roadway and everything was wet from the recent rains. Click through for the video.

Frame grabs from a video of a rockslide on US Highway 64 in the Ocoee River gorge in Tennessee on November 10, 2009

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rockslide_north_carolina_i40
Geologic Hazards

Rockslide Closes I-40 in Western North Carolina

November 6, 2009 rockman Comments Off on Rockslide Closes I-40 in Western North Carolina

rockslide_north_carolina_i40

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. […]