<
https://theconversation.com/the-collapse-of-a-mountainside-triggered-nepals-devastating-floods-as-the-regions-mountains-heat-up-it-wont-be-the-last-290924>
"On the morning of August 26, a section of mountain near Langtang Lirung peak
in Nepal suddenly collapsed.
A huge mass of rock, ice and debris plunged roughly 1,200 metres into the
valley below, producing a hugely destructive flood on the Lhende Khola river.
The flow travelled almost 100 kilometres downstream, washing villages and
bridges away. Almost 1,000 people died and thousands more are still missing
across the Nepal-China border.
What caused it? At first, it looked like a glacier collapse. But emerging
satellite and photographic evidence suggests a more complex picture – an
avalanche of rock and ice, rather than a simple glacier collapse.
The mountain face now has a sharply defined scar after the collapse, clearly
marking the boundary between the remaining slope and the section which failed.
This isn’t the first rock-ice avalanche in the Himalayas, but it is by far the
most devastating. Unfortunately, it is unlikely to be the last. Rising
temperatures due to climate change mean the permanently frozen slopes of
mountains in the region may begin to melt and destabilise."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
