http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/landslides/ Landslides and mudslides. Learn about landslide history, hazards, research, predictions and building practices to minimize risks. en-us Fri, 05 Sep 2008 09:05:01 EDT Fri, 05 Sep 2008 09:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/earth_climate/landslides/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080904115121.htm Up to 20 million people, thousands of whom are already displaced from their homes following the devastating Chinese earthquake, are at increased risk from flooding and major power shortages in the massive Sichuan Basin over the next few decades and possibly centuries. A geographer from Durham University makes the observations on returning from carrying out investigative fieldwork in the China earthquake zone. Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080904115121.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080901084854.htm A new assessment more than doubles previous estimates of the amount of carbon stored in permafrost, and indicates that carbon dioxide emissions from microbial decomposition of organic carbon in thawing permafrost could amount to roughly half those resulting from global land-use change during this century. Tue, 02 Sep 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/09/080901084854.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080729133417.htm A linear string of mud pots and mud volcanoes suggest surface evidence for a southern extension of the San Andreas Fault that runs through the Salton Sea, according to a paper published in the August issue of the Bulletin of the Seismological Society of America. Thu, 31 Jul 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080729133417.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080723101956.htm A small but significant find made during a geological survey provides evidence of the oldest human presence yet discovered along the northernmost margin of Egypt's Nile delta. Thu, 24 Jul 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080723101956.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080714112956.htm Use of biosolids (treated municipal sewage sludge) on crops is a common practice because biosolids are a rich source of plant nutrients and organic matter. However, these biosolids can contain dangerous dioxins. Scientists investigated the effects of continuous and long-term application of biosolids on the levels of dioxins in soil and corn tissues. Wed, 16 Jul 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080714112956.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080630130116.htm Running for more than 1,000 kilometers along picturesque coastline, California's Highway 1 is easy prey for many of the natural hazards plaguing the region, including landslides. Fri, 04 Jul 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/06/080630130116.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416214912.htm Ocean Conservancy released its annual report on trash in the ocean with new data from the 2007 International Coastal Cleanup the most comprehensive snapshot of the harmful impacts of marine debris. The mission of Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup is to engage people to remove trash from the world's beaches and waterways, to identify the sources of debris and to change the behaviors that cause pollution. Fri, 18 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080416214912.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080403152742.htm Proximity to a flood zone lowers property values. By law, a property is considered in a “flood zone” if any part of the structure falls within a floodplain, an area that is adjacent to a stream or river that experiences periodic flooding. It has been acknowledged that the level of risk associated with a property may be associated with natural hazards. Thu, 03 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080403152742.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080220225343.htm The bad news is that the Mississippi Delta is sinking as much as one fifth of an inch per year and sometimes even more. But the good news is that the sinking is mostly limited to the uppermost layer of sediment and the land underneath is much more stable. These findings have implications for the post-Katrina rebuilding of Louisiana. For example, the large flood-control structures under consideration can be more stable than previously believed, provided that foundations penetrate entirely through the soft shallow deposits. Fri, 22 Feb 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080220225343.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071204180537.htm Every year geohazards -- such as volcanoes, earthquakes, landslides and tsunamis -- claim thousands of lives, devastate homes and destroy livelihoods. In an effort to reduce their impact, more than 250 scientists from around the world gathered to adopt a declaration for an internationally coordinated program to help save lives and reduce human suffering worldwide. Thu, 06 Dec 2007 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071204180537.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071121145010.htm An enormous submarine landslide that disintegrated 60,000 years ago produced the longest flow of sand and mud yet documented on Earth. The massive submarine flow traveled 1,500 kilometers -- the distance from London to Rome -- before depositing its load. Thu, 22 Nov 2007 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071121145010.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070831150753.htm "A hard rain's a-gonna fall," Dylan sang. But when rain and storm surges fall on lands protected by weak levees, this means trouble...big trouble. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita were devastating reminders of this frightening fact. How then can we limit trouble when a levee breaches or, better yet, prevent such a break from ever happening again? There's another issue at play here besides horrendous storms. We are witnessing the slow death of our natural buffer zones -- which protect us from powerful sea surges. Mon, 03 Sep 2007 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070831150753.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070626140346.htm Engineers have devised a simple yet effective system for determining an area's landslide risk, a tool that could help planners improve building codes, determine zoning and strengthen mitigation measures in mountainous tropical regions frequently hit by typhoons. Tue, 26 Jun 2007 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070626140346.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/070222104624.htm Soil bacteria could be used to help steady buildings against earthquakes, according to researchers at UC Davis. The microbes can literally convert loose, sandy soil into rock. Mon, 26 Feb 2007 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/070222104624.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/11/061106111400.htm Following a series of well documented natural disasters with grave human and economic consequences, the ability to predict these devastating events has once more come to the fore as a research priority for the European scientific community. This, amongst other things, is what leading scientists in ocean margin research came together to discuss at the recent EUROMARGINS conference in Bologna, Italy. Tue, 07 Nov 2006 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/11/061106111400.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/09/060908192659.htm The latest advances in computer flood modeling and animation that could help to improve the way we protect the UK's towns and cities from flooding will be highlighted at this year's BA Festival of Science in Norwich. Tue, 12 Sep 2006 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/09/060908192659.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/05/060524222230.htm Using NASA's advanced Earth-observing satellites, scientists have discovered a new opportunity to build early detection systems that might protect thousands from floods and landslides. This potential breakthrough in disaster monitoring and warning links satellite observations of soil type, vegetation and land slope with observations of rainfall, rivers and topography. Wed, 24 May 2006 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/05/060524222230.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/05/060517175614.htm Low-elevation coastal zones, those regions of the planet within 100km of a coast and below 10m in elevation, account for only about 2 percent of the world's land area, but are home to roughly 10 percent of the world's population, more than half of which live in urban areas. These regions are in danger of flooding in the face of rising sea level and increasing storm activity. Wed, 17 May 2006 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/05/060517175614.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/03/060316193118.htm There is evidence that the McGinnis Glacier, a little-known tongue of ice in the central Alaska Range, has surged. Assistant Professor of Physics Martin Truffer recently noticed the lower portion of the glacier was covered in cracks, crevasses, and pinnacles of ice--all telltale signs that the glacier has recently slid forward at higher than normal rates. It has not been determined whether the glacier continues to surge. Fri, 17 Mar 2006 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/03/060316193118.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/11/051122211225.htm Envisat ASAR Global Monitoring Mode rapid-revisit images -- employed as part of ESA's Dragon Programme -- have charted the hydrological cycle of China's largest freshwater body, Poyang Lake, whose area fluctuates more than three-fold annually. Tue, 22 Nov 2005 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/11/051122211225.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/10/051023123104.htm The deadly landslide that killed 10 people and destroyed 30 homes in La Conchita, California last January is but a tiny part of a much larger slide, called the Rincon Mountain slide, discovered by Larry D. Gurrola, geologist and graduate student at the University of California, Santa Barbara. The slide started many thousands of years ago and will continue generating slides in the future, reported Gurrola at the national meeting of the Geological Society of America today. Mon, 24 Oct 2005 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/10/051023123104.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/09/050902072414.htm Scientists have recently recognized an imbalance in the flow of salty groundwater into the coastal ocean: considerable saltwater discharge into the ocean has been observed, but little or no return flow has been seen. Now it appears that the timing of the discharge may be key to the health of our coastal waters. Fri, 02 Sep 2005 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/09/050902072414.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/03/050326101939.htm An inspection of Thai villages and ports struck by tsunami waves has uncovered some engineering lessons that might reduce casualties and destruction in future oceanic upheavals, a Johns Hopkins researcher said. Sun, 03 Apr 2005 03:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/03/050326101939.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/03/050325143726.htm The potential for devastating tsunamis in the northern Caribbean is high, say marine scientists, based on their analysis of historical data since the arrival of Columbus. Several natural phenomena could trigger giant tsunamis, they say, with effects felt in the islands of the Greater and Lesser Antilles and along the east and Gulf coasts of the United States. Mon, 28 Mar 2005 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/03/050325143726.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/01/050121110549.htm Some massive earthquakes like the one that generated the recent tsunami in South Asia are preceded by slight sinking along nearby coastlines two to five years before the rupture, according to a new study by scientists from Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, the University of California, Berkeley, and the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys. Sun, 23 Jan 2005 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2005/01/050121110549.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/08/040815234801.htm What is the reality behind stories of mega-tsunamis wiping out the American east coast and southern England? Very little, according to Dr Russell Wynn and Dr Doug Masson from Southampton Oceanography Centre, who have been studying Canary Islands landslides for many years. Thu, 19 Aug 2004 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/08/040815234801.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/06/040625085710.htm A research team led by the University of California, Berkeley, has detailed the downhill movement of San Francisco Bay Area landslides using powerful new space-born imaging techniques. Fri, 25 Jun 2004 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/06/040625085710.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/02/040224105346.htm The devastating Christmas Day mudslides, known to scientists as debris flows, were more widespread than most people realize, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Tue, 24 Feb 2004 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/02/040224105346.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/12/031209080659.htm The Hawaiian Islands are home to the largest documented shoreline collapse in history, an ancient seaward landslide that sent rocks from the island of Oahu to sites more than 100 miles offshore. Thu, 11 Dec 2003 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/12/031209080659.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/11/031119075950.htm Once a raging forest fire is quelled, the next worry is erosion of the landscape. With vegetation destroyed, rain easily washes away the soil, causing large flows of debris and landslides. Erosion endangers sources of drinking water, streams, and roads. Wed, 19 Nov 2003 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/11/031119075950.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/10/031028055332.htm Research by scientists at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University shows that Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) polarimetry is a more superior technology for rapidly identifying disaster zones than the currently used optical remote sensing technologies, such as Landsat and SPOT. Tue, 28 Oct 2003 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/10/031028055332.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/06/020617074814.htm In 1996, marine geologists William Ryan and Walter Pitman published a scientifically popular hypothesis, titled Noah's Flood Hypothesis. The researchers presented evidence of a bursting flood about 7,500 years ago in what is now the Black Sea. This, some say, supports the biblical story of Noah and the flood. But, such a forceful flood could not have taken place, says Jun Abrajano, professor of earth and environmental sciences at Rensselaer. Mon, 17 Jun 2002 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/06/020617074814.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/02/020201074736.htm When University of Rhode Island ocean engineering professor Stephan Grilli says he’s making waves with his research, he’s not kidding. He uses a 30-meter wave tank to simulate landslides caused by underwater earthquakes to better understand how tsunamis form and move across the oceans. Wed, 06 Feb 2002 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2002/02/020201074736.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/05/010525072300.htm Nothing can prevent a storm from hitting, but a team of North Carolina State University researchers is testing new designs for "breakaway walls" that could reduce damage to homes and buildings should a hurricane make landfall. Fri, 25 May 2001 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/05/010525072300.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/11/001116080857.htm A University at Buffalo geologist has shown that it is very likely that huge flood basalt eruptions caused dramatic global-scale climate shifts and mass extinctions, even if lava is erupted relatively slowly. Thu, 16 Nov 2000 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/11/001116080857.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/07/000717074211.htm Penn State analyses of the continental slope about 100 miles off the northern New Jersey coast show that water trapped in sediments there is highly pressurized and, if expelled violently, could cause undersea landslides which can produce tidal waves. Tue, 25 Jul 2000 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/07/000717074211.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/05/000510065459.htm Geological research by scientists from The University of Texas at Austin's Institute for Geophysics, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory suggests that landslides on the outer continental shelf and slope along the Mid-Atlantic coast could have the potential to trigger tsunamis that might have devastating effects on populated coastal areas. Wed, 10 May 2000 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/05/000510065459.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/01/000121071306.htm With predicted sea level rise, wetland loss, subsidence, and the absence of restoration programs, the future of New Orleans appears bleak. Research from University of New Orleans scientists examine the processes driving catastrophic coastal conditions and the breakdown of the Mississippi River Delta. Fri, 21 Jan 2000 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2000/01/000121071306.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/06/990629085340.htm Scenic rock cliffs falling to valley floors, rocks ripping out mountainsides, mud and debris moving down valleys at deadly speeds, mines and caves collapsing, and ocean and river bluffs sliding into the water -- all describe one of the nation's most underestimated hazards -- landslides. Scientists funded by the U.S. Geological Survey's National Landslide Hazards Program are attempting to reduce long-term losses from these hazards by improving our understanding of the causes of ground failure and refining mitigation strategies. Tue, 29 Jun 1999 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/06/990629085340.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/04/990401061033.htm Researchers have removed up to 99 percent of trichloroethylene from contaminated soil during the first field tests of an innovative remediation method called Lasagna™ technology, which uses electrical current fed to electrodes buried in the ground. Thu, 01 Apr 1999 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/04/990401061033.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1998/10/981028075540.htm A multidisciplinary group of scientists is challenging the century old theory that long lava flows must be formed by massive, but short lived, volcanic eruptions. Their research, reported in the Journal of Geophysical Research, suggests that some ancient flows of up to 100 miles in length built up gradually over years, rather than quickly in just days. This finding could have broad implications for the study of Earth and nearby planets. Wed, 28 Oct 1998 00:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1998/10/981028075540.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1998/08/980824072053.htm The first scientific team to survey and report on last month's catastrophic tsunami at Sissano Lagoon in northwestern Papua New Guinea suggests that tsunamis, or tidal waves, may threaten more coastline regions of the world than previously thought, including much of the West Coast. Mon, 24 Aug 1998 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1998/08/980824072053.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1997/08/970821001438.htm Geologists have long known that Mount Rainier, the largest volcano in the Cascades, looms as a potential risk to the communities around it. There is strong geological evidence that several times over the last 6,000 years massive landslides, and accompanying mudslides, have buried the surrounding area. Now University of Washington researchers have made the first detailed study of the possible trigger for such a devastating event, a large earthquake centered in the volcano's backyard. Thu, 21 Aug 1997 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1997/08/970821001438.htm