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Chilcotin River landslide and risk of flooding downstream – ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV experts available

August 02, 2024

Following the news that a landslide blocked the Chilcotin River in British Columbia's Cariboo region, ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV experts are available to explain what has happened, how the situation might develop, and the possible downstream impacts.

JOHN CLAGUE, professor emeritus, Earth sciences, CRC Chair in Natural Hazard Science  
jclague@sfu.ca  
Expertise: The link between extreme weather events and climate change; geology, climate change, natural hazards, floods, landslides. Relating to this landslide specifically, the stability of the landslide dam and implications for the speed of incision – how fast the landslide is breached will affect the nature of the downstream flooding.

BRENDAN MURPHY, assistant professor, School of Environmental Science
Brendan_murphy@sfu.ca
Expertise: Geomorphology, hydrology, and post-wildfire hazards.

JEREMY VENDITTI, professor, environmental science and geography  
778.782.3488 | jeremy_venditti@sfu.ca  
Expertise: impact of flooding on river bank erosion; impact of landslide activity; impact of the slide on salmon.

BRENT WARD, professor, Earth sciences, co-director, Centre for Natural Hazards Research  
604.771.5829 | bcward@sfu.ca  
Expertise: natural hazards, landslides, floods, earthquakes; making communities more resilient to climate change/flooding; lingering impacts of major flood events. The geology of the region – this is a very landslide-prone spot and there was a similar river-blocking landslide very close to the same site in 1964. Downstream consequences of a breach of the landslide dam.

CONTACT

WILL HENDERSON, ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV Communications & Marketing 
604.368.2532 | will_henderson@sfu.ca

¶¡ÏãÔ°AV
 |  
778.782.3210

ABOUT SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY


As Canada’s engaged university, ¶¡ÏãÔ°AV works with communities, organizations and partners to create, share and embrace knowledge that improves life and generates real change. We deliver a world-class education with lifelong value that shapes change-makers, visionaries and problem-solvers. We connect research and innovation to entrepreneurship and industry to deliver sustainable, relevant solutions to today’s problems. With campuses in British Columbia’s three largest cities—Vancouver, Burnaby and Surrey—¶¡ÏãÔ°AV has eight faculties that deliver 364 undergraduate degree programs and 149 graduate degree programs to more than 37,000 students. The university now boasts more than 180,000 alumni residing in 145+ countries.

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