Preliminary analysis of satellite images reveals that the massive, catastrophic floods in the Chamoli region of northern India last weekend could be the result of a large landslide. The slab – made of ice and rock – was 500 m across at the top and 150 m thick. The huge mass came crashing down the valley 2 km below, triggering destructive and fatal flash floods. Many questions remain unanswered, and will require further investigation. At this stage, scientists cannot tell whether melting of ice in the landslide mass destabilized it; whether this event could be linked to intense drilling at the base of this young mountain; or what role other dynamics related to climate change, such as unseasonable rainfall might have played in these catastrophic floods and loss of life.
https://blogs.agu.org/landslideblog/2021/02/08/chamoli-2/
Compiled by Amy Imdieke.
Nature Communications, 29 May 2026 The soils of Arctic river deltas store large amounts of…
Scientific Reports, 27 May 2026 Rising global temperatures increase the exposure of communities and infrastructure…
Global Environmental Change, 20 May 2026 In the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, reducing greenhouse gas emissions could…
Nature Sustainability, 4 May 2026 Sediment records from the Last Inter-Glacial (LIG) period suggest that…
NPJ Climate and Atmospheric Science, 20 May 2026 Human-caused warming has been the primary driver…
Nature Communications, 27 May 2026 Sudden drainage of meltwater lakes through water-filled fractures can locally…