Stawamus Chief rock slides that shook village of Squamish linked to climate change, expert says
CBC
The town of Squamish, B.C. was shaken by two rock slides in the span of 24 hours on Monday, with a massive slab of granite shearing off a section of the Stawamus Chief and smashing to the ground early in the morning.
The Chief is a massive granite dome south of the town, popular with tourists and climbers.
The first dramatic rockfall, which occurred at around 1:34 a.m. PT and was captured on webcam, left an iron-tinged scar on the rock face after a flourish of sparks and dust plumes. A smaller slide hit at around 4:45 p.m. PT near Angel's Crest Trail, as people lined up to vote in the federal election.
Alexis Birkill, who runs chiefcam.com, recorded the rocks as they crashed down from Upper Zodiac Wall.
No injuries were reported, but B.C. Parks and Squamish RCMP are urging people to stay clear of the area where the Western Dihedrals meet the Grand Wall.
The climbing walls are closed while geotechnical engineers work to ensure safety. Closures are expected to last through winter, with fears that rain, then freezing temperatures, may trigger more debris falls from the ancient rock face.
Some experts say climate change may be accelerating the number of slides that are often triggered by heat waves followed by rain. Extreme temperatures this summer may have caused the rock to expand and then contract again in the cold, creating stress fractures. Once weakened, heavy rain helped loosen the rock.
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