Landslides detected from afar

Seismic fingerprints reveal that rock avalanches have occurred

A computer and a comfortable chair may be all that’s necessary to investigate catastrophic landslides in the farthest reaches of the world. Researchers have developed a way to remotely detect the events using energy unleashed by landslides, just as geologists identify earthquakes using waves of energy.  

Seismic signals and satellite data can help scientists detect and characterize giant landslides that occur in remote, mountainous regions, such as the rock avalanche that slid down New Zealand’s Mount Dixon in 2013 (shown in this satellite image from February 5, 2013).