Latest news with #rockfalls
The Guardian
9 hours ago
- Climate
- The Guardian
Hundreds evacuated after series of rockfalls in Italy's Brenta Dolomites
Hundreds of hikers and tourists were evacuated and dozens of trails closed after a series of rockfalls on the slopes of Cima Falkner in the Brenta Dolomites in the north of Italy, as experts warned of a sharp rise in landslides in the area linked to thawing permafrost. In recent days, visitors reported hearing loud booms followed by rockfalls and thick clouds of dust rising from Monte Pelmo in the Val di Zoldo after rocky pinnacles broke away and crashed down into the valley below in the municipality of Selva di Cadore in Italy's Belluno province. Another collapse was recorded on Cima Falkner, where experts say the entire area is undergoing a process of erosion linked to rising temperatures and the wider climate emergency. No one was injured and the falling debris came to a stop higher up the mountain. 'Multiple rockfalls have occurred on both the western and eastern slopes of Cima Falkner in the Brenta Group,' read a statement by authorities in the region of Trentino-Alto Adige. 'As a result, all climbing routes and hiking trails directly affected by the area have been immediately closed. 'All hikers in the area have been evacuated. We urge everyone to pay maximum attention and strictly follow the ordinances to ensure their own safety.' Following reports of rockfalls, a technical inspection was conducted on Tuesday by the geological service with the support of a helicopter unit, which confirmed that 'the entire summit is affected by an ongoing geomorphological process, likely linked to permafrost degradation'. Rockfalls have always occurred in the Dolomites, but experts this year warned of a striking rise in the number of collapses, driven by extreme heat and weather events intensified by the climate crisis. 'Never before have we seen such an incredible increase in rockfalls,' Piero Carlesi, president of the scientific committee of the Italian Alpine Club (CAI), told la Repubblica. 'Landslides are on the rise, and the main cause is the climate crisis. There's no doubt about it.' He added: 'Mountains, by definition, are destined to collapse – they won't remain as we know them for ever. What's different now is that we're seeing a clear acceleration of these processes, driven by heat and extreme weather events intensified by the climate crisis.' Cold temperatures, causing water seeping into rock fractures to freeze, acted as a kind of glue, holding the rocks together. But now, Carlesi said, with rising temperatures, that glue was disappearing and fractured rock was increasingly breaking off and tumbling down gullies. 'It's happening more and more often,' he said. Last year, Italian scientists who took part in a campaign launched by the environmentalist group Legambiente said the Marmolada glacier – the largest and most symbolic in the Dolomites – could melt completely by 2040. Their report said Marmolada was losing between 7cm and 10cm of depth a day and that over the past five years, 70 hectares (173 acres) of its surface had disappeared. Since the beginning of scientific measurements in 1888, the Marmolada glacier has withdrawn by 1,200 metres in an 'irreversible coma'. Sign up to Down to Earth The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential after newsletter promotion In 2022, a collapse on the Marmolada mountain sent an avalanche of ice, snow and rock downslope, killed 11 people. Erosion and rockfalls are on the rise not only in the Dolomites but across the entire Alpine range, according to mountaineers and experts. In late June 2025, Mont Blanc experienced a record-breaking heatwave with temperatures remaining above zero for an extended period at high altitudes, including the summit. Bernard Vion, a 66-year-old mountain guide, has been walking and climbing in the French Alps around Pralognan-la-Vanoise since he was a child and accompanies visitors on climbs. He said rockfalls and other dangers caused by climate change had complicated work for him and his colleagues. 'We have never seen rock falls of such intensity and regularity before. The permafrost, which is like a kind of cement holding the rocks together, is melting, meaning they have no cohesion and they collapse,' he said. Vion opened his phone to show a message from another guide with pictures of a large rockfall near a mountain refuge at about 2,800 metres above Pralognan-la-Vanoise on Monday. 'He was really shocked. He said he never expected it to happen there,' Vion said. 'For several years now we have had to develop the ability to observe these phenomenon and spot the warning signs. In some cases we've had to totally modify our itineraries to reduce the risk to our clients. Even for us guides this is difficult and I worry about amateur climbers who don't have the same mountain culture.' He said 'of course' this was due to climate breakdown. 'You'd have to be blind not to see it. Anyone who doubts this should come to the mountains.'
The Guardian
9 hours ago
- Climate
- The Guardian
Hundreds evacuated after series of rockfalls in Italy's Brenta Dolomites
Hundreds of hikers and tourists were evacuated and dozens of trails closed after a series of rockfalls on the slopes of Cima Falkner in the Brenta Dolomites in the north of Italy, as experts warned of a sharp rise in landslides in the area linked to thawing permafrost. In recent days, visitors reported hearing loud booms followed by rockfalls and thick clouds of dust rising from Monte Pelmo in the Val di Zoldo after rocky pinnacles broke away and crashed down into the valley below in the municipality of Selva di Cadore in Italy's Belluno province. Another collapse was recorded on Cima Falkner, where experts say the entire area is undergoing a process of erosion linked to rising temperatures and the wider climate emergency. No one was injured and the falling debris came to a stop higher up the mountain. 'Multiple rockfalls have occurred on both the western and eastern slopes of Cima Falkner in the Brenta Group,' read a statement by authorities in the region of Trentino-Alto Adige. 'As a result, all climbing routes and hiking trails directly affected by the area have been immediately closed. 'All hikers in the area have been evacuated. We urge everyone to pay maximum attention and strictly follow the ordinances to ensure their own safety.' Following reports of rockfalls, a technical inspection was conducted on Tuesday by the geological service with the support of a helicopter unit, which confirmed that 'the entire summit is affected by an ongoing geomorphological process, likely linked to permafrost degradation'. Rockfalls have always occurred in the Dolomites, but experts this year warned of a striking rise in the number of collapses, driven by extreme heat and weather events intensified by the climate crisis. 'Never before have we seen such an incredible increase in rockfalls,' Piero Carlesi, president of the scientific committee of the Italian Alpine Club (CAI), told la Repubblica. 'Landslides are on the rise, and the main cause is the climate crisis. There's no doubt about it.' He added: 'Mountains, by definition, are destined to collapse – they won't remain as we know them forever. What's different now is that we're seeing a clear acceleration of these processes, driven by heat and extreme weather events intensified by the climate crisis.' Cold temperatures, causing water seeping into rock fractures to freeze, acted as a kind of glue, holding the rocks together. But now, Carlesi said, with rising temperatures, that glue was disappearing and fractured rock was increasingly breaking off and tumbling down gullies. 'It's happening more and more often,' he said. Last year, Italian scientists who took part in a campaign launched by the environmentalist group Legambiente said the Marmolada glacier – the largest and most symbolic in the Dolomites – could melt completely by 2040. Their report said Marmolada was losing between 7cm and 10cm of depth a day and that over the past five years, 70 hectares (173 acres) of its surface had disappeared. Since the beginning of scientific measurements in 1888, the Marmolada glacier has withdrawn by 1,200 metres in an 'irreversible coma'. Sign up to Down to Earth The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential after newsletter promotion In 2022, a collapse on the Marmolada mountain sent an avalanche of ice, snow and rock downslope, killed 11 people. Erosion and rockfalls are on the rise not only in the Dolomites but across the entire Alpine range, according to mountaineers and experts. In late June 2025, Mont Blanc experienced a record-breaking heatwave with temperatures remaining above zero for an extended period at high altitudes, including the summit. Bernard Vion, a 66-year-old mountain guide, has been walking and climbing in the French Alps around Pralognan-la-Vanoise since he was a child and accompanies visitors on climbs. He said rockfalls and other dangers caused by climate change had complicated work for him and his colleagues. 'We have never seen rock falls of such intensity and regularity before. The permafrost, which is like a kind of cement holding the rocks together, is melting meaning they have no cohesion and they collapse,' he said. Vion opened his phone to show a message from another guide with pictures of a large rockfall near a mountain refuge at about 2,800 metres above Pralognan-la-Vanoise on Monday. 'He was really shocked. He said he never expected it to happen there,' Vion said. 'For several years now we have had to develop the ability to observe these phenomenon and spot the warning signs. In some cases we've had to totally modify our itineraries to reduce the risk to our clients. Even for us guides this is difficult and I worry about amateur climbers who don't have the same mountain culture.' He said 'of course' this was due to climate breakdown. 'You'd have to be blind not to see it. Anyone who doubts this should come to the mountains.'
CTV News
18-07-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Cape Breton's Donkin coal mine up for sale by U.S.-based owner
Workers repair the road leading to the Donkin coal mine in Donkin, N.S., on Monday Dec. 13, 2004. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan HALIFAX — An idle Cape Breton underground coal mine that has been plagued by rockfalls is reportedly up for sale. Nova Scotia-based Morien Resources Corp. receives a royalty from the Donkin mine, and says the mine's owner has announced it intends to explore a sale of its 100 per cent ownership in the operation. Attempts to reach mine owner Kameron Colliers ULC were unsuccessful. Morien owns a production royalty on coal sales from the mine that is binding and will continue if there is a change in ownership. The Nova Scotia company says it's unclear whether a successful sale will result in the mine restarting operations. Nova Scotia's government suspended operations at the mine in 2023 after two roof rockfalls, and allowed them to resume in March 2024 following a review by a third-party consultant. The mine, which remains idle, first opened in 2017 and was described by the province as the world's only operating subsea coal mine. It resumed operations in September 2022 after it was shuttered in March 2020 amid slumping coal prices and roof collapses that led to repeated stop-work orders. --- This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 18, 2025.
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Cape Breton's Donkin coal mine up for sale by U.S.-based owner
HALIFAX — An idle Cape Breton underground coal mine that has been plagued by rockfalls is reportedly up for sale. Nova Scotia-based Morien Resources Corp. receives a royalty from the Donkin mine, and says the mine's owner has announced it intends to explore a sale of its 100 per cent ownership in the operation. Attempts to reach mine owner Kameron Colliers ULC were unsuccessful. Morien owns a production royalty on coal sales from the mine that is binding and will continue if there is a change in ownership. The Nova Scotia company says it's unclear whether a successful sale will result in the mine restarting operations. Nova Scotia's government suspended operations at the mine in 2023 after two roof rockfalls, and allowed them to resume in March 2024 following a review by a third-party consultant. The mine, which remains idle, first opened in 2017 and was described by the province as the world's only operating subsea coal mine. It resumed operations in September 2022 after it was shuttered in March 2020 amid slumping coal prices and roof collapses that led to repeated stop-work orders. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 18, 2025. The Canadian Press
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Alpine expert says climate change making mountains more dangerous
Climate change is making mountain collapses, such as the recent glacier collapse in Switzerland, as well as other hazards like rockfalls and landslides, more frequent, according to a climate expert at the German Alpine Club "The increase in these alpine hazards is a clear consequence of human-induced climate change," Tobias Hipp said. And that is making them more dangerous. "There will always be certain risks in the mountains, but their likelihood is increasing due to climate change," he said. "The Alps are out of balance due to warming and are becoming unstable. We must assume that these events will continue to increase." Hipp explained that it is important to distinguish between mountain collapses and rockfalls. "In the case of a mountain collapse – as seen recently in Switzerland – massive amounts of rock are involved. Often, there are warning signs beforehand, such as smaller break-offs, allowing for large-scale monitoring and early warnings. However, this is not always the case, as with the mountain collapse at Piz Cengalo in 2017, which resulted in several fatalities." For mountaineers, however, rockfalls and smaller-scale landslides are generally more relevant. "These are classic alpine hazards that occur much more frequently and across wider areas." Loss of ice and glaciers Both mountain collapses and rockfalls are triggered by similar processes, which are exacerbated by climate change, Hipp said. "On the one hand, the mountains are warming, which means the permafrost inside them no longer holds them together as effectively. On the other hand, the retreat of glaciers plays a role, as glaciers no longer act as supports for adjacent rock walls. Additionally, unstable areas beneath the glaciers are exposed, which can lead to rockfalls or landslides." Increasing extreme weather events, such as heavy rainfall or heatwaves, often act as triggers. Ultimately, multiple factors or processes usually interact. The level of danger depends heavily on location. "The average hiker who is not in high alpine regions has less to worry about," said Hipp. "But in areas between 2,000 and 2,500 metres, the risk increases, and in high alpine regions, we see a clear link between the rise in hazards and human-induced climate change." Importance of planning Good route planning, with attention to weather forecasts, is always essential, Hipp explained. However, due to rapid changes, it is becoming even more important. "The Alps will remain an attractive destination for mountaineering, just not in the same way as we have inherited them."
