Mass Wasting is very common in Iceland, due to the terrain and a number of contributing factors, such as interaction between climate, lithology of the region, and soil erosion. Although gravity alone can be responsible for a landslide, there are also a number of triggers in Iceland. These triggers include: intense rainfall, melting and retreat of the frozen landscape, changes in groundwater currents, seismic activity, and the undercutting of the land by ocean waves and glaciers. The highest landslide risk in Iceland occurs during seasonal low-pressure systems that happen in the fall bringing heavy rainfall and wind, and from the spring snow melt.
.(Photo: National Commissioner's Special Forces)
Quite recently, a landslide in Seyðisfjörður occurred in December 2020. This was the largest landslide to have damaged an urban area in Iceland. Fortunately no lives were lost in this event. (See photo above and outlines below)
There are a number of types of landslides that occur in Iceland including rockfalls, mud or debris flows, earth flows, rock slides, and gradual creep. They occur in all regions of Iceland but mostly in Central North Iceland, the East Fjords, and the West Fjords.
Mitigation efforts are centered mostly on land use planning and creating "no build" zones. Experts are also researching the creation of better monitoring systems and the possibility of building mudslide barriers above towns that may be in danger of landslides. According to the Icelandic Meteorological Office, " Althingi ‒ the national parliament of Iceland ‒ recently approved a five-year budget plan, increasing government funding for the construction of avalanche defenses by 1.6 billion ISK annually." Hopefully this will help expedite the creation of these defenses and increase safety for residents and tourists alike.
Sources:
Icelandic Meteorological Office (IMO)
https://en.vedur.is/
Icelandic Institute of Natural History
https://www.ni.is/
Hi Julie, I enjoyed reading your post and understood about the mass dumping in Iceland. You wrote that the time of danger in Iceland is when the snow melts from spring and I found this time of year to be the most dangerous. I thought that if I could think of countermeasures for both Dominica and Iceland, my choice, I could prevent as many disasters as possible. You did a great job.
ReplyDeleteHi Julie, I really liked how informative your blog is. I had no clue that mass wasting was very common in Iceland. I also liked the images you included in your blog that showed the impact of the landslides. Something I also found interesting is The highest landslide risk in Iceland occurs during seasonal low-pressure systems that happen in the fall bringing heavy rainfall and wind, and from the spring snow melt.
ReplyDelete