Glen Ogle Landslide

March 25, 2013

GlenOgle19[1]

Photographer: Mike Smith
Summary Authors: Alan Dykes (Kingston University); Mike Smith

Glen Ogle is a glaciated valley in the western Highlands of Scotland. As such, its slopes are generally steep and covered with thin soil, post-glacial weathering and rockfall deposits. This location is susceptible to mass movement in the form of rockfall and debris flows. The photo above shows a shallow translational landslide of local extent. It was likely triggered by the hydrogeological effects of slope convergence -- below the two people. The small displacement of this slide, on a relatively low gradient slope, indicates a slow rate of movement. Just behind the people, the head scarp shows a thin soil layer covering what is probably a small deposit of till. Note that the green strip bisecting the slump is a footpath. The Glen Ogle viaduct is in the background. Photo taken in 1989.

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