Category Archives: geohazards

Friday focal mechanisms: Chile’s persistent seismic gap

Posted on February 11, 2011 by Chris Rowan

The magnitude 8.8 earthquake that shook Chile in February 2010 occurred within a seismic gap – but new research suggests that it did not fill it. Continue reading →

Categories: earthquakes, focal mechanisms, geohazards

Pakistan floods: Predictable or predicted, but a disaster nonetheless

Posted on February 8, 2011 by Anne Jefferson

Unusually heavy monsoon rains in July and August 2010 left large swaths of Pakistan underwater. At least 18 million people were affected by the flood, and it is estimated that, more than six months later, several hundred thousand remain without … Continue reading →

Categories: by Anne, climate science, geohazards, hydrology, paper reviews, society

Flooding around the world

Posted on January 31, 2011 by Anne Jefferson

Based on information from The Flood Observatory and other news sources, here are some tidbits about on-going and recent flood events around the world. Every one of these floods is having significant local and regional impacts, even if they don’t … Continue reading →

Categories: by Anne, geohazards, geomorphology, hydrology

Edible debris flow

Posted on January 28, 2011 by Anne Jefferson

Steep hillslopes with loose sediment are at risk from debris flows triggered by heavy rain or rapid snowmelt. As water is added to the hillslope, surface runoff or positive pore water pressure catastrophically destabilizes a portion of the slope. I decided to undertake my own research and investigate the possibilities for an edible analog for debris flows. Continue reading →

Categories: by Anne, geohazards, geomorphology

Landslides and flooding in Brazil

Posted on January 18, 2011 by Anne Jefferson

While Australia continues to cope with widespread flooding in Queensland and elsewhere and the death toll continues to rise (at least 20 people), in Brazil landslides and flooding in the past week have claimed at least 700 lives. Yet international … Continue reading →

Categories: by Anne, geohazards, hydrology