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 […]
rain
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
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 […]
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
The July 2005 rainfall-induced landslides in Yangshan (the Yang Mountains) in China
Extreme rainfall in July 2025 triggered numerous landslides and debris flows that killed over 60 people. Between 23 and 29 July 2025, the Yanshan (Yan Mountain) [41.0, 120.0] area of Hebei Province in China suffered extreme rainfall that triggered extensive flooding and landslides. As is so often the case in China, I found it difficult to […]
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
The 17-21 May 2026 landslides in Shimen County, Hunan, China
Satellite images show two very large landslides and multiple smaller failures, and channelised debris flows, in Shimen County in China. In China, this year rainy season started with an intense event that covered the provinces of Guizhou, Hubei and Hunan in the period between 17 and 21 May 2026. There were some news reports at […]
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
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 […]
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Comparing Machine Learning Models of Raindrop Formation
The simplest model, based on polynomials, yields the best performance.
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
The 24 May 2026 landslide disaster in Yongchuan, Chongqing, China
Planet Labs imagery reveals a cluster of shallow landslides and channelised debris flows triggered by extreme rainfall. Official figures indicate that 20 people were killed. Early in the morning of 24 May 2026, extremely heavy rainfall triggered a significant landslide disaster in Yongchuan District in Chongqing, China. As is so often the case in mainland […]
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
A valley-blocking landslide in Lower Siang district, Arunachal Pradesh, India
A large landslide in India, triggered by monsoon rainfall, was captured on a remarkable video. On Monday 29 June 2026, a valley-blocking landsldie occurred on the Siji River in Lower Siang district, Arunachal Pradesh, India. I have yet to track down the precise location of this event, but it is in the region of [27.7146, […]
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
Our new paper: Extreme rainfall further endangers the world’s rarest great ape
In November 2025, Cyclone Senyar generated extreme rainfall in parts of Sumatra, Indonesia, triggering thousands of landslides. Our new paper in the journal Current Biology demonstrates that these landslides might have a devastating impact on a critically endangered population of Tapanuli orangutan. In November 2025, Cyclone Senyar brought extreme rainfall to large parts of Sumatra […]
Posted inNews
Heavy Rainfall Inflates Mount Fuji
The uplift, several centimeters in magnitude, is likely caused by water pooling in the mountain’s shallow aquifers. The effect is shorter lived than deformation caused by magmatic activity.