The Landslide Blog is written by Dave Petley, who is widely recognized as a world leader in the study and management of landslides. On 7 October 2024, a significant landslide occurred at Porto da Terra Preta, in Manacapuru, Brazil. Information about this failure remains somewhat unclear, but some reports suggest that the loss of life […]
South America
The role of urban growth in the generation of landslide risk – an example from Brazil
The Landslide Blog is written by Dave Petley, who is widely recognized as a world leader in the study and management of landslides. In a recent post, I highlighted the likely role that high atmospheric temperatures, associated with a combination of anthropogenic climate change and the recent (now waning) El Nino conditions, are playing in […]
The failure mechanism of the 17 December 2017 Santa Lucía landslide in Chile
The Landslide Blog is written by Dave Petley, who is widely recognized as a world leader in the study and management of landslides. On 17 December 2017, a large landslide was triggered at Santa Lucía in the northern Patagonian Andes of Chile. An initial rock slope failure transitioned into a 12 km long debris flow […]
Concerns over Lithium, Water, and Climate in Earth’s Two Highest Deserts
Brine mining to meet resource demands amid renewable energy transitions is affecting water resources in South America and China. Hydrologists can help understand how and join the search for solutions.
The Surprising Factor Making the United States a Tornado Hot Spot
The roughness of terrain far upstream of where tornadoes occur can affect their formation. It could be what drives the contrast in tornado activity between North and South America.
Tracing Millions of Years of Geologic Stress in the Andean Plateau
Paleostress modeling shows how a region of the Andean Plateau was uplifted and formed beginning more than 20 million years ago.
The 28 June 1974 Quebrada Blanca landslide disaster in Colombia
The Landslide Blog is written by Dave Petley, who is widely recognized as a world leader in the study and management of landslides. Last week marked the 50th anniversary of the 28 June 1974 Quebrada Blanca landslide disaster in Colombia, in which up to 500 people were killed. There is a good video, in Spanish, […]
The 13 June 2024 tailings dam failure at the Chinchorro TSF at Peñablanca in Chile
The Landslide Blog is written by Dave Petley, who is widely recognized as a world leader in the study and management of landslides. At about 8 pm on 13 June 2024, a failure occurred in the embankment wall of the Chinchorro tailings storage facility, close to the village of Peñablanca, near the town of Cabildo […]
The causes of the 8 January 2022 fatal rock topple at Furnas Reservoir in Brazil
The Landslide Blog is written by Dave Petley, who is widely recognized as a world leader in the study and management of landslides. On 8 January 2022, a large rock topple occurred on the banks of the Furnas Reservoir in Brazil. This event, which I wrote about at the time, was captured on a series […]
Núcleos de hielo de la Antártica capturan la contaminación de los metales pesados y su historia
Un núcleo de hielo que tiene registro más de 2 milenios, sugiere que la minería y la metalurgia aumentaron y disminuyeron con acontecimientos como las guerras y las epidemias.