Rock Avalanche in Castell de Mur, Spain
March 22, 2019
Photographer: Xavier Varela Pinart
Summary Author: Xavier Varela Pinart
Featured above is a rock avalanche (rockslide or landslide) in the municipality of Castell de Mur (Catalonia), Spain, that occurred on February 15, 2019. A contributing cause of this slide was the increase in the pore water pressure during aquifer recharge. Beneath the surface the hydrostatic pressure in cracks and fractures within the soil and rock mix was considerably higher following an extraordinary rainy fall and winter than it was in late summer. As of the end of February, the section of the road pictured here (left center of photo) was being reconstructed.