Origins of the Chamoli, India Landslide/Ice Slide Disaster

Science, June 10

In February 2021, a catastrophic flood caused widespread loss and damage in Chamoli, Uttarakhand, India. A new study, co-authored by more than 50 scientists, shows that 27 million m3 of material – 11X the volume of the Great Pyramid of Giza – consisting of rocks and ice avalanched down the valley, 1800 meters below. Satellite images show that the failed slope may have started moving as early as 2016. Intense friction in the avalanche caused rapid melting of the ice, resulting in a fast-moving debris flow of loose sediments, rocks, water and ice. Rapid warming across the Himalayas will undoubtedly increase the frequency and magnitude of such high-mountain slope instabilities, separate from the better-known phenomenon of glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs), and threatening both local communities and infrastructure.

https://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2021/06/09/science.abh4455