Nepal's quake-driven landslide hazards
Large earthquakes can trigger dangerous landslides across a wide geographic region. The 2015
M
w
7.8 Gorhka earthquake near Kathmandu, Nepal, was no exception. Kargal
et al.
used remote observations to compile a massive catalog of triggered debris flows. The satellite-based observations came from a rapid response team assisting the disaster relief effort. Schwanghart
et al.
show that Kathmandu escaped the historically catastrophic landslides associated with earthquakes in 1100, 1255, and 1344 C.E. near Nepal's second largest city, Pokhara. These two studies underscore the importance of determining slope stability in mountainous, earthquake-prone regions.
Science
, this issue p.
10.1126/science.aac8353
; see also p.
147
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