The external review of the Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park landslide is extremely critical of the local authority in their approach to the management of the well-documented landslide hazard and risk at the site. The external review commissioned by Tauranga City Council (TCC) into the 22 January 2026 Mount Maunganui Beachside Holiday Park landslide released […]
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The evolution of the Wanlixi landslide in Taiwan
Planet Labs satellite imagery highlights how the Wanlixi landslide in Taiwan evolved prior to the main failure on 21 June, and how it has continued to move subsequently. On 31 July 2026 I highlighted the valley-blocking Wanlixi landslide in Hualien County, Taiwan. The location of the landslide is 23.78859° N, 121.27236° E (for machine readable […]
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The 4 July 2026 landslide disaster at Cantzama in Ecuador
On 4 July 2026, 19 people were killed in a massive landslide in Zamora Chinchipe province, Ecuador. Planet Labs imagery shows that this was caused by a c.1 km long landslide that occurred 13 km upstream of Cantzama. This transitioned into a channelised debris flow that destroyed the community. On 4 July 2026, a massive […]
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The 3 August 2026 landslide at the Debre Metmik Tsadkane Mariam Monastery in Ethiopia
A major landslide in the North Shewa Zone of Ethiopia has killed at least 14 pilgrims gathered at a monastery. On 3 August 2026, a significant landslide occurred at the Debre Metmik Tsadkane Mariam Monastery (often known as Tsadkane Mariam Monastery) in the North Shewa Zone of Ethiopia. There are 14 confirmed fatalities from this […]
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The valley-blocking Wanlixi landslide in Taiwan
In Taiwan, a large rockslide last month, the Wanlixi landslide, has blocked a river, creating a barrier lake with a volume of about 6 million cubic metres. In Taiwan, a large landslide has blocked the Wanli river in Hualien County. The hazard is being actively monitored by the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency, who are […]
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Reactivation of the Mauao landslide in Mount Maunganui, New Zealand
A significant reactivation occurred over the weekend of the 22 January 2026 Mauao landslide in Tauranga. Loyal readers will remember my posts on the Mauao landslide in Mount Maunganui in New Zealand on 22 January 2026, which killed six people. Over the weekend, heavy rainfall caused the landslide to reactivate. Fortunately, in this case there […]
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The 17 July 2026 landslide at Hanjia in Chongqing, China
Reports suggest 42 people were killed in a large rockslope failure. Imagery suggests that suspicion will fall on a cutting at the foot of the slope. On Friday 17 July 2026, at 9:08 am local time, a large landslide occurred on the banks of the Wujiang River at Hanjia, located within of Pengshui Miao and […]
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The 7 July 2026 Kalladi landslide in Kerala, India
A major landslide triggered by monsoon rainfall killed eight people this week. The failure occurred at the site of works for a new road tunnel – there is speculation that poor handling of excavated materials may have been the cause. Imagery suggests that the event might have been slightly more complex, though. On 7 July […]
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The 7 July 2026 landslide at Renzang Village in Longnan City, Gansu Province, China
A major landslide in China yesterday killed 21 forestry workers. Satellite imagery suggests that the slope showed signs of disturbance before the failure. On 7 July 2026, a major landslide struck Renzang Village, which is located in the administrative area of Nanhe Township in Longnan City, Gansu Province, China. Xinhua reports that 33 people were […]
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Book review: Engineering Geomorphology – A Practitioners Guide by Gareth Hearn
A review of a fascinating volume that examines the principles and practice of the often neglected but incredibly powerful field of engineering geomorphology. Engineering geomorphology provides a vital input into the site investigation, the selection of alignments for infrastructure projects, land use zonation and geohazard risk assessment. In essence, it involves the use of trained […]