The Landslide Blog is written by Dave Petley, who is widely recognized as a world leader in the study and management of landslides. On Sunday 16 March 2025 at about 5 am local time a major failure of a tailings dam occurred at Andavilque, in Llallagua municipality, Potosí department in Bolivia. This was a really […]
South America
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
Landslide risk in La Paz, Bolivia
The Landslide Blog is written by Dave Petley, who is widely recognized as a world leader in the study and management of landslides. AFP has posted a very good overview of the hazards posed by landslides in the capital city of Bolivia, La Paz (unfortunately it cannot be embedded). Located at a high elevation, characterised […]
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
The 7 December 2024 mine waste landslide at Turmalina Mine 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 7 December 2024 a major landslide occurred in a mine waste pile at the Turmalina Mine in Brazil. The operator, Jaguar Mining, has put out a press release that provides a […]
Posted inNews
South America Is Drying Up
A new study shows that dry, warm, and flammable conditions have skyrocketed across the continent, favoring the spread of uncontrolled fire.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Insights Biogeoquímicos de um Importante Rio Amazônico
Sub-representados nos orçamentos globais de carbono, rios tropicais como o Tocantins, no Brasil, necessitam de estudos para estabelecer suas características de base face às crescentes mudanças globais.
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
The 7 October 2024 landslide at Porto da Terra Preta in Manacapuru, 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 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 […]
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
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 […]
Posted inThe Landslide Blog
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 […]
Posted inOpinions
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.
Posted inNews
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.