New research indicates that over 100,000 landslides were triggered by a single rainstorm. Back in July 2023, the remnants of Typhoon Doksuri swept across northern China, bringing exceptional rainfall. I briefly covered this at the time, but there was a lack of clear information about the impacts. A technical note has been published in the […]
Hazards & Disasters
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
The evolving landslide threat at Farwell Canyon on the Chilcotin River in British Columbia
There are concerns about the potential impact of an incipient landslide at Farwell Canyon on the Chilcotin River in British Columbia, Canada. On 30 July 2024, a large landslide occurred on the Chilcotin River in British Columbia, Canada, blocking the flow. The scale of the landslide was massive – on the BC website about the […]
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
The 13 January 2026 landslide at Burutsi village, in the Kashebere area of Walikale Territory, Democratic Republic of Congo
A rainfall-induced landslide at Burutsi is now known to have killed 28 people. At about 1 am local time on 13 January 2026, a large landslide occurred at Burutsi village, which is located in the Kashebere area of Walikale Territory, Democratic Republic of Congo. Local news reports indicate that 28 people were killed in the […]
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
Binaliw: the massive garbage landslide in Cebu City, the Philippines
Recovery operations continue for the 36 victims of the 8 January 2026 garbage landslide in the Philippines. Recovery operations are continuing at the site of the 8 January 2026 landslide at Binaliw in Cebu, the Philippines. At the time of writing, it is reported that the bodies of eight victims have been recovered, whilst 28 […]
Posted inFeatures
The Looming Data Loss That Threatens Public Safety and Prosperity
Cuts to funding and staff needed to maintain trusted datasets of reference Earth system observations could limit their availability and quality, undermining hazard predictions and risk assessments.
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
The shifting pattern of landslide risk in cities – an interesting case study from Medellín
An fascinating case study from the 24 June 2025 Granizal landslide in Medellín, Colombia, which killed 27 people and destroyed 50 homes, shows demonstrates that it is not just the urban poor that are exposed to landslides. That urban areas can be subject to high levels of landslide risk is well-established – commonly cited examples […]
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
A landslide inventory that extends over a century in Alaska demonstrates that climate change is having a major impact
The Landslide Blog is written by Dave Petley, who is widely recognized as a world leader in the study and management of landslides. Of course, allow me to start by wishing all my readers a Happy 2026. I suspect that we are in for quite a landslide journey again this year. In late November, a […]
Posted inScience Updates
Lessons and Lingering Questions from Collapsing Basaltic Calderas
Research into the hazardous collapses of basaltic volcanoes has revealed common physical processes, but addressing remaining questions requires learning more from historical events.
Posted inResearch & Developments
Trump Administration Plans to Break Up NCAR
The Trump administration is planning to dismantle the National Center for Atmospheric Research, one of the world’s leading climate and Earth science research laboratories, according to a statement from Russ Vought, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, to USA Today.
Posted inNews
Crystal Clusters Contain Clues to Magma’s Past and Future Eruptions
It’s now become easier to forecast the next eruption of Alaska’s Bogoslof volcano. New research led by Pavel Izbekov, a volcanologist at the Alaska Volcano Observatory, is applying the foundations of diffusion chronometry—the study of chemical change in crystals over time—to a new eruption forecasting approach. Izbekov’s team used crystal clusters and their collective records […]