Oso Landslide Update

Oso Landslide (Wikimedia)

Oso Landslide (Wikimedia)The Oso Landslide death toll is now up to 29. This is one of the worst natural hazard disasters I can remember in recent times. First and foremost I think should be the memories of the victims. There are so many heart-wrenching stories of the people that lost their lives in this giant landslide. I think those stories underscore the importance of the jobs of geologists and engineers.

We have a responsibility to protect life and property in the work that we do. I’m not saying this landslide or the loss of life could have necessarily been prevented, but I personally take tragic events like this as a reminder of the sacred charge of our profession and use it as motivation in my daily practice of geological and geotechnical engineering. With regards to the geology and engineering aspects of the Oso Landslide, below are several links that I found interesting or informative.