Table of Contents
What caused the 2014 Oso mudslide?
1900s – Seasonal high water begins eroding the hill that eventually gave way in the 2014 mudslide. The Stillaguamish River channel pushes north. 1930s to 1950s – Logging is the economic engine of the Oso area. Some of the logged area is sensitive to shifting because of groundwater.
How long did the Oso landslide last?
approximately 2.5 minutes
Ground vibrations generated by the Oso landslide were recorded at several regional stations and subsequently analyzed by the Pacific Northwest Seismic Network (PNSN). The initial collapse began at 10:37:22 a.m. local time (PDT; 17:37:22 UTC), lasting approximately 2.5 minutes.
What happened during the Oso landslide?
At 10:37 a.m. on March 22, 2014, a rain-soaked hillside near Oso, Washington collapsed, sending around 18 million tons of sand, till and clay into the community of Steelhead Haven in Snohomish County. The Oso landslide, also called the SR 530 landslide, engulfed the community and destroyed 49 homes and structures.
What kind of landslide was the Oso landslide?
The landslide involved a complex sequence of events—including rotation, translation, and flow mechanisms—and can be referred to as a debris-avalanche flow. Studies indicate that slope failure occurred in two stages over the course of about 1 minute.
How could the Oso mudslide have been avoided?
How could this tragedy have been avoided? The best way to avoid such tragedies is through the approval process for residential subdivisions. If such a subdivision – along a river, and close to a slope – were being proposed today, I would hope that the siting and design would be carefully evaluated.
How many people died in the Seattle landslide?
A week earlier, on March 22, a massive landslide ripped through the area, killing 43 people and destroying dozens of homes. This story, which recounts that tragic day, is based on Seattle Times interviews with survivors, rescuers and friends and family of the dead. It includes photos, video and emergency-dispatch audio. ‘Unforeseen’ risk of slide?
What was the deadliest mudslide in US history?
Mudslide in Washington state kills more than 40 people On March 22, 2014, 43 people die when a portion of a hill suddenly collapses and buries a neighborhood in the small community of Oso, Washington, some 55 miles northeast of Seattle. It was one of the deadliest mudslides in U.S. history.
What happened in the Oso landslide in Washington State?
Tragedy struck Washington state on March 22, 2014, when a landslide in the Cascade Mountains engulfed the small towns of Oso and Darrington, north of Seattle. Without warning, a massive wall of mud and earth swept down the mountainside, destroying homes and burying dozens of people.
How many people are killed by mudslides each year?
Mudslide in Washington state kills more than 40 people. Each year in the United States, more than 25 people on average die due to landslides, while thousands more are killed elsewhere around the world. In 1969, Hurricane Camille created flash floods and mudslides that killed an estimated 150 people in Nelson Country, Virginia.