The 1847 debris flow event in Clay County, North Carolina shows crazy storms aren’t a new thing for the region
Seeing the results of past extreme storms in a region is an important part of understanding potential landscape behavior. Thomas L. Clingman (yes, that Clingman) provides an invaluable record of a couple of past storm events in his extensive writings about western North Carolina. His discussion of the results of a storm of July 7th,…
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What happened to mountain slopes during Helene? Geologists are gathering information to prepare for the next storm
In the nine months since Helene’s arrival in western North Carolina, geologists have worked steadily to better understand how to reduce future landslide-related impacts on life and property. While landslide themselves cannot be prevented from happening under extreme precipitation conditions, decision making during, and particularly before, a storm can save lives and reduce damage to…
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Understanding debris flow landslides in the southern Appalachians
Before Helene’s remnants passed through western North Carolina, the boulder-strewn area in the photo above was covered with trees and buildings. A small stream flowed behind the wrecked buildings on the left of the photo. The damage seen here occurred suddenly on the morning of Friday, September 27, 2024, as a huge wave of boulders,…
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Is this the biggest boulder in the Appalachians?
by Philip S. Prince In Pisgah National Forest a bit northwest of John’s Rock, there’s a really big boulder in the woods. Like so many Appalachian geologic features, it looks really nice when viewed with lidar imagery. This boulder is particularly satisfying to look at because it sits alone on the floor of a small…
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