A massive rock and ice avalanche caused the 2021 disaster at Chamoli, Indian Himalaya

2021/06/10 by Dan H. Shugar, Mylène Jacquemart, David Shean +50 · 1 voice · 11 citations
Environmental Science · Earth and Planetary Sciences · #Landslides and related hazards #Cryospheric studies and observations #Climate change and permafrost

paper · doi:10.1126/science.abh4455

Abstract

cubic meters of rock and glacier ice collapsed from the steep north face of Ronti Peak. The rock and ice avalanche rapidly transformed into an extraordinarily large and mobile debris flow that transported boulders greater than 20 meters in diameter and scoured the valley walls up to 220 meters above the valley floor. The intersection of the hazard cascade with downvalley infrastructure resulted in a disaster, which highlights key questions about adequate monitoring and sustainable development in the Himalaya as well as other remote, high-mountain environments.

Citations

• Review of the status and mass changes of Himalayan-Karakoram glaciers

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Discussions

• I was able to work w/ a stupendous team of ~50 scientists, social scientists, policy people, & journalists, to document a major multihazards cascade involving a #landslide, #glacier, and #hydropower p [bsky, 49 points, 0 comments]

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