Storms Can Cause Landslides Days Later, Scientists Find

Can a change in the weather trigger a landslide? Sometimes, yes, according to research. From a report: Most landslides are set in motion by an earthquake or torrential rain, but some have no obvious trigger. In 2009, scientists were stunned to discover that the stop-start Slumgullion landslide in the Rocky Mountains -- which has been inching down the hillside for 700 years -- is triggered by changes in atmospheric pressure. So is Slumgullion a rare exception? To find out, scientists fed weather and landslide data from Taiwan -- whose typhoons and steep hills create a perfect natural landslide laboratory -- into a landslide model. Their results, which are published in Natural Hazards and Earth System Sciences, demonstrate that when the eye of a storm passes over a hillside, the change in atmospheric pressure can provide the final push, but its ability to do this depends upon the weather over the preceding months.

No shit, Sherlock

[rossdee]

Well duh...

Re: No shit, Sherlock

[kopecn]

You surely be shitting me Sherlock.

Re:

[usedtobestine]

Whoever overpaid for this study....overpaid for this study. Let me extend my congratulations to the frauds who got given money to do this.

Re: No shit, Sherlock

[kopecn]

In such a situation, Sherlock may say, it is elementary, bla bla bla, Watson.

Sugar can cause diebetes years later

[siewsk]

Sugar can cause diebetes years later

A lesson there for all of us

[arglebargle_xiv]

Slumgullion landslide in the Rocky Mountains -- which has been inching down the hillside for 700 years

Holy shit, that thing moves faster than Congress! And it's younger than some senators too.

Interesting

[paazin]

As someone who resides in a region that is prone to landslides and gets a good amount of precipitation it's illuminating. We've known that landslides can happen after heavy rains (obviously) but happening some days after the fact due to air pressure variations? That's novel and not something many people consider -- this will definitely be something I take into account when heading out into the backcountry after heavy rains.

Believe it or not this is helpful

[pyroclast]

As a geologist mapping landslides and landslide potential, it is helpful to keep generating these types of data studies. As what appears to be obvious and apparent common knowledge, based on some of these comments, the correlation of landslide triggers can be challenging. Engineering Geologists and Geological Engineers know what can cause a landslide, some have calculated the window of failure pretty accurately (for smaller slides), but the data involved is massive. Knowing the material, moisture input/outp