Geologist explains why Swiss mountain village faces another huge landslide

The Swiss village of Brienz/Brinzauls in eastern Switzerland again is facing the threat of being hit by a rockslide from a mountain that looms overhead. The chief geologist monitoring the risks says the instability of the mountain face is a local phenomenon that has nothing to do with climate change. The world’s eyes are again on Brienz, where movements in the upper part of the scree slope above the small village in canton Graubünden, near Davos, have accelerated sharply in recent weeks. Recent measurements have showed that the top of the rubble pile has been moving much faster than before – sometimes up to 40cm per day, reports Swiss public television SRF. The local authorities fear that up to 1.2 million cubic metres of rock could crash down on the village, which narrowly avoided a huge landslide last year. In view of the imminent threat, an “orange” alert level has been declared and another preventive evacuation of residents has been organised. The village must be evacuated by ...