A Deadly Landslide Struck Papua New Guinea; Geologist Analysis

The death toll could be far higher than the estimate given in this video. It is difficult to know how many people lived in the relevant area.

Damn, 3 a.m. landslide, nobody would have had any warning short of waking up wondering what the rumbling was :(

Thank you for doing a report about this disaster. I’ve been reading all the news articles but it is very hard to see what is going on in their videos. They are very one dimensional. With your various views of the mountain and the slide area, it allows us to gather the magnitude of the catastrophe.

Jeez that had to have been terrifying. Those poor people.

Good job to inform us clearly what was going on out there!

New Guinea really is a nightmare scenario for landslides. Frequent earthquakes, exceedingly steep terrain, highly populated valleys, heavy rainfall, deforestation, and minimal infrastructure to bring relief.

Sorry I'm posting this twice. The BBC reported that recently there has been tribal conflict in the area. This has caused many people to flee their homes and go to the slide area to seek refuge. My deepest sympathy to those that have lost their lives.

Much appreciation to you, Timothy

I worked for the PNG Geological Survey for 3 years, 1980-1983, as an engineering geologist. Landslides are a major factor in the geomorphological evolution of the New Guinea highlands. In my experience, slope failures virtually always involves elevated pore-water pressures. How they get to be elevated is obviously another question, and many of the features you mention can contribute.

Oh, this is sad. Rest in peace, people. Ona. Different note… I got to watch a small mudslide occur because I live on a hill at the top and the neighbor across the way decided to completely clear his vegetation when he moved in. I asked the dude what he was planted and he showed me the seeds. So I asked if they would be grown before the rains and he said it would be fine. It was, in fact, not fine. Unless his plan was to plant along the road and the ditches and other peoples yards because after rain #3, his yard flowed away.

Need to see a LIDAR image of the area. After the Oso, Washington slide, LIDAR showed series of similar events and some pending ones along the same ridge.

Thanks GHub for your concise and realistic explanation of this event.

May God be with all those affected. Thank you for being willing to say that you don't know and not promoting sensationalism for clicks.

Congratulations on the big 300,000!! Been with you since 1.6k Your growth is well deserved

Thanks for all of your hard work man!

My best guess is the slow slide - maybe started with the recent shakes, maybe accelerated by them. And possibly affected by seasonal rainfall.

Condolences. this is extremely sad.

Thanks!

Palm Oil Production is causing massive deforestation in Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. . Landslides will become more common. You need trees to hold the soil. The area is mainly farming and most of the area has been cleared of trees.

My heartfelt sympathy to all who were lost and their families. I hope the people didn't have time to realize what was about to happen to them.