Geology Explains Destructive Debris Flow

IMAGE: The destroyed Tapovan Vishnugad hydroelectric plant after the devastating debris flow on Feb 7, 2021. CREDIT: Irfan Rashid/Department of Geoinformatics, University of Kashmir

Destruction is a terrible motivator for science, but it does motivate science. Recently, a huge mass wasting event in India destroyed two hydropower facilities and resulted in the deaths of nearly 200 people. Shocking and tragic, scientists raced to understand how and why this event occurred and if it could be prevented in the future.