Scientists Link Nepal-Tibet Flash Floods to 5.2-Magnitude Landslide and Glacial Collapse
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Aug 27
Scientists Link Nepal-Tibet Flash Floods to 5.2-Magnitude Landslide and Glacial Collapse
3 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Aug 27
Summary
Satellite images and seismic data show the deadly Nepal-Tibet flash floods were likely triggered when bedrock beneath a glacier collapsed, unleashing a much larger slide than first seen.
A huge section of glacier had already been identified as breaking off Wednesday morning, but clearer Thursday imagery revealed the mountain rock supporting it also gave way.
Millions of metric tons of rock and ice then barreled into the valley, pulverizing into mud and water that drove the flooding, according to geomorphologist Kristen Cook.
The force was so great that the U.S. Geological Survey recorded the landslide as a magnitude 5.2 seismic event, underscoring how massive slope failures can register like earthquakes.