Scale model landslides show what happens if you mess with a landslide toe
by Philip S. Prince The two images below show the same model landslide at different points during its evolution. The lower image, of course, looks much uglier, with a broken-up slide block and huge, looming headscarp. Notably, the thick toe labeled in the upper image is conspicuously missing…(spoiler: you can watch this model evolve at…
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Impressive (and frightening!) debris flow superelevations in the Virginia Blue Ridge
by Philip S. Prince Debris flows move fast, making them an exceedingly dangerous type of landslide. “Fast” is always a relative term, but in the case of debris flows, speeds of 30 or 40 miles per hour (~50-60 kilometers per hour) are quite reasonable. Debris flow speed is often sufficient to cause the flow to…
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Blowout landslides, part 2: Material movement, and did anything actually “blow out?”
by Philip S. Prince “Blowout” is definitely an unusual name for a type of landslide, and even the guy who came up with the name (William Eisenlohr, Jr., in 1952; link here) didn’t seem to like it. The purpose of the name was to capture the apparent type of movement associated with these slides, which…
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“Blowout” landslides and the lidar signature of several catastrophic, mid-summer Appalachian precipitation events of the 20th century
by Philip S. Prince All parts of the Appalachian Mountains are no stranger to episodes of localized but catastrophically extreme precipitation, with the eastern Kentucky event of July (2022) and its tragic consequences being the most recent reminder. These precipitation events, which typically occur during summer months, can deliver double-digit inches of rain (more than…
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