Friday 2 December 2016

Landslide kills at least six in Valle del Cauca Province, Colombia.

Six people are known to have died and it is feared that more people may be buried, following a landslide in Valle del Cauca Province, Colombia, on Thursday 1 December 2016. The landslide hit a residential district in the city of Cali, destroying a number of homes. The incident is reported to have happened following a period of heavy rain. Landslides are a common problem after severe weather events, as excess pore water pressure can overcome cohesion in soil and sediments, allowing them to flow like liquids. Approximately 90% of all landslides are caused by heavy rainfall.
 
Rescue teams at the site of the 1 December 2016 Cali landslide. Reuters.
 
Valle del Cauca is a mountainous coastal province with several distinct climate zones. The Cali  area is considered to have a tropical climate, with a to peaks in rainfall in April and October, though there is no completely dry time of year. Two hot wet seasons per year is normal on the equator, where the Sun is highest in the sky around the equinoxes and lowest at the solstices, as opposed to the situation at higher latitudes, where the Sun is highest at one solstice and lowest at the other.
 
See also...
 
http://sciencythoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2016/10/landslide-kills-seven-in-antioquia.htmlhttp://sciencythoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/magnitude-54-earthquake-in-santander.html
http://sciencythoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2015/07/eruptions-on-nevado-del-ruiz.htmlhttp://sciencythoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/landslide-kills-at-least-78-people-in.html
http://sciencythoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2015/05/fifteen-missing-after-inrush-at.htmlhttp://sciencythoughts.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/columbia-gold-mine-collapse-kills-at.html
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