Scientists expose causes and effects of massive B.C. landslide
On Nov. 28, 2020 a massive landslide near the West Grenville Glacier resulted in catastrophic damage to the land and waterways in Homalco First Nation territory along B.C.'s central coast. 蹤獲扞⑹ researchers have studied the slide and its impacts.
An international team of researchers completed an investigation into a massive landslide that occurred on November 28, 2020 in Homalco First Nation territory on the central coast of British Columbia.
Published in the journal , scientists document and model the rare hazard cascade event in which a that caused extensive damage to vital salmon habitat in Elliot Creek and the Southgate River.
Led by the University of Northern British Columbia and the BC (MFLNRORD) the team used a variety of remotely sensed observations including seismic energy, laser mapping, satellite imagery and state-of-the-art computer simulations.
These enabled scientists to reconstruct the events that led to the slide in the Bute Inlet area, which charged 1,000 m down a steep slope with catastrophic consequences.
Imagine a landslide with a mass equal to all of the automobiles in Canada, travelling with a velocity of about 140 kilometres an hour when it runs into a large lake, said Dr. Marten Geertsema an Adjunct Professor in 蹤獲扞⑹s Ecosystem Science and Management Program as well as a Research Scientist with the BC MFLNRORD. "The landslide displaced enough water to cause a tsunami with a wave height that exceeded 100 metres. This drained most of the lake water which then travelled down a 10-km long channel causing widespread channel erosion and loss of salmon habitat.
Geertsema is the lead author of the paper, titled The 28 November 2020 Landslide, Tsunami, and Outburst Flood A Hazard Cascade Associated With Rapid Deglaciation at Elliot Creek, British Columbia, Canada.
This work clearly shows why the collection of geospatial data in our mountains is so important, said 蹤獲扞⑹ Geography Professor Dr. Brian Menounos, a co-author of the study. In our partnership with the Hakai Institute, we study changes in the provinces glaciers. This gave us pre-landslide data that allowed us to accurately model the downstream effects of the landslide.
The two 蹤獲扞⑹ authors acknowledge the important partnership with the Homalco First Nations.
"The active involvement of Erik Blaney and Chief Darren Blaney was crucial to our study, said Menounos. This was a co-creation of scientific knowledge that we hope will help the Homalco people evaluate the event's impact on an important salmon-bearing stream in their territory.