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Researchers Discover Ancient Massive Landslide
sciencehabit writes For decades, geologists have noted the signs of ancient landslides in southwestern Utah. Although many parts of the landscape don't look that odd at first glance, certain layers include jumbled masses of fractured rock sandwiched among thick veins of lava, ash, and mud. Now, new fieldwork suggests that many of those ancient debris flows are the result of one of Earth's largest known landslides, which covered an area nearly 39 times the size of Manhattan.
Anybody know what "39 times the size of Manhattan" is in football fields?
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Knowing the geology is good; but I'd like to see us work on effective ways to use that knowledge.
It always comes down to money, especially when the area is already built.
For all intensive purposes, "whom" is no longer a word. That begs the question, "who cares"?
Lots of things have happened since the dinosaurs flew away
I love that formulation.
(And just coined a related one: "... since the dinosaurs gave us the bird" B-) )
Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
Knowing the geology is good; but I'd like to see us work on effective ways to use that knowledge.
In this case, it's easy. Don't build (or buy a building) on or immediately beneath a slippery slope.
Geology - it's not rocket science; it's rock science
Many years ago I took a geomorphology class in college. Geomorphology is the study of the landscape and the geologic processes that shape the contours of the land. We had a lab where we identified landslides using aerial photos and a stereoscope. I already had some experience looking through a stereoscope and identifying landslides so I was finding lots of them. The professor walked by and noticed. He said "OK Robert, now look for larger landslides." They were harder to see because they were older. But they could be identified by their surface mottling and shape. So I start to see them and there are lots of them. The professor was impressed and he said "OK, now step back and look at the entire hill side." When I did this I realized that the entire hillside was one massive landslide. Ridge to valley bottom. Probably on the order of a square mile. He suggested that at some time in the past the entire hillside slid. Probably the result of a 1906 type earthquake in the middle of a very wet winter when all the soil on the hillside was saturated with water. It blew my mind.
RLH