Vibrations make large landslides flow like fluid
New research shows why some large landslides travel greater distances across flat land than scientists would generally expect, sometimes putting towns and populations far from mountainsides at risk.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. and WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — A new study may finally explain why some landslides travel much greater distances than scientists would normally expect. A team of researchers used a sophisticated computer model to show that vibrations generated by large slides can cause tons of rock to flow like a fluid, enabling the rocks to rumble across vast distances. (more…)