Very heavy rainfall across Nepal, NE. India and Bhutan has triggered landslides that have killed at least 60 people. Over the last few days, parts of the Himalayas have been hit by very high levels of rainfall, causing large numbers of damaging landslides. The picture is not yet fully clear, but Nepal and Bhutan, and […]
India
Posted inNews
Spiky Sand Features Can Reveal the Timing of Ancient Earthquakes
Icicle-shaped features known as sand dikes form during ground shaking. New work reveals how these features can be used to date long-ago earthquakes.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Droughts Sync Up as the Climate Changes
A new study reconstructs roughly 800 years of streamflow history in India’s major rivers, showing an increase in synchronous drought linked to anthropogenic climate change.
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
The cause of the 5 August 2025 Dharali disaster in India
Planet satellite imagery has started to reveal the events that killed 70 people at in northern India. It clearly indicates that intense rainfall triggered landslides that transitioned into channelised debris flows. On 5 August 2025, a series of terrifying landslides struck Dharali in Uttarkashi, Uttarakhand, northern India. I blogged about this at the time – the Wikipedia […]
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
The 26 August 2025 landslide on the Vaishno Devi pilgrimage route in India
On 26 August 2025, a landslide triggered by extraordinary rainfall killed at least 34 people and injured another 20 individuals. On 26 August 2025, extremely intense late monsoon rainfall struck parts of Jammu and Kashmir in northern India, triggering extensive flooding and landslides. Unfortunately, a significant landslide occurred on the route to the Vaishno Devi […]
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
The possible causes of the Dharali (Tharali) debris flow in Uttarakhand, India
A possible cause of the 5 August 2025 landslide is the failure of a large body of glacial material high in the valley above the village. The imagery that is emerging after the 5 August 2025 debris flow in Dharali (Tharali), in Uttarakhand, northern India make very somber viewing. Melaine Le Roy posted this comparison […]
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
A very initial perspective on the 5 August 2025 debris flow at Tharali / Dharali in northern India
A massive landslide has destroyed a remote Himalayan village. Fifty or more people may have died. Astonishing and terrifying footage has appeared today of a dreadful debris flow that struck the village of Tharali (also called Dharali in some places) in Uttarakhand today. The video has been widely shared on social media. This is a […]
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
Movement of the Joshimath landslide in India
A new paper (Dalal et al. 2025) in the journal Engineering Geology examines movement of a major landslide complex in India. It shows that the slope reactivated in 2018, probably as a result of the loss of vegetation and poor management of water. Loyal readers will remember a series of posts that I made back […]
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
The 1 June 2025 landslides at Chaten in Sikkim, India
Nine people have been killed in a series of landslides, triggered by heavy rainfall, that have struck an army camp. At about 7 pm local time on 1st June 2025, a series of landslides struck an army camp at Chaten in the Lachen District of Sikkim in India. It is believed that nine people have […]
Posted inNews
“Transformational” Satellite Will Monitor Earth’s Surface Changes
The mission, jointly operated by the United States and India, will measure minute changes to land, ice, and ecosystems around the globe.