Wednesday, February 06, 2008

Snakes Pass Landslide

The A57 Snakes Pass road (the main link between Manchester and Sheffield) has been closed for two weeks due to a landslide (image from Prof. Brian Whalley). The landslide occurred following heavy rain, a sequence of events not unusual in this locality (e.g. http://tinyurl.com/23gmww). The steep hillslopes in this region of the 'Dark Peak' are particularly vulnerable to mass movement being underlain by thin sandstones interbedded with weak, easily weathered shales. Other notable landslides in the immediate vicinity include Alport Castles (see http://tinyurl.com/2snvl2) and Mam Tor (see http://tinyurl.com/38fkq2) - (image from DTN).

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