Landslides

About landslides

"Landslide" is a general term used to describe the down-slope movement of soil, rock and organic materials under the influence of gravity. It also describes the landform that results from such a movement.

British Columbia's steep, mountainous terrain, its complex geology, its high precipitation--both as rain and snow--its abundance of unconsolidated glacial sediments, and its geographic position astride the earthquake zone that surrounds the Pacific Ocean, all combine to make our province particularly susceptible to landslide activity. In fact, in British Columbia the loss of life and damage to property caused by landslides is greater than losses caused by other natural hazards such as earthquakes and flooding. As our cities, towns, roads and highways steadily encroach onto steeper slopes and mountainsides, landslide hazards become an increasingly serious threat to life and property.

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Debris flows

Debris flows are fast-moving mixtures of water, sediment, boulders and logs that flow down steep mountain creeks. Debris flows have caused fatalities, near misses and significant property damage in the Kootenays.

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The content on this page was last updated September 28 2022 at 4:21 AM