My theme for my 2015 A to Z Challenge came from my
Disaster Crimes series. Disasters are a theme in each story, so it got me
thinking about all the disasters that occur from natural disasters to manmade
disasters.
Today’s
disaster is...
MUDSLIDE
Mudslides (or
mudflows) are a form of mass/slope movement, a process by which sand, soil,
rock, and regolith move down slope. This usually occurs due to gravity but
water, such as melting snow, heavy rainfall, floods and groundwater, can play a
major role.
FACT: Mass
movement has happened on Mars, Venus, and Jupiter's moon Io.
Because of the clay in most mudslides, they can travel
far and even across areas with low slope angles. They can devastate villages
and countrysides. The hills around Los Angeles are often affected by mudslides.
FACT:
Because mudslides are a lot like floods, they can move houses off their
foundations and even bury them.
Areas that are at risk of mudslides have steep slopes and
are located where surface runoff is directed. Places with channels along
streams/rivers, destroyed vegetation from wildfires or construction, and of
course places that have had landslides in the past are also at risk.
FACT: The
world's largest landslide occurred during the 1980 eruption of Mount St.
Helens, a volcano in Washington, USA.
Check out these recipes for Mudslides (alcoholic drink): Drinks Mixer
QUESTIONS: Has
anyone ever tried the Mudslide drink? Do you live at the bottom of a steep slope
(hills/mountains)?
These are great facts, and no I haven't tried the mudslide drink!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I haven't tried it either.
DeleteIn the spring after the rains, our town turns into a mudslide. We have so many cliffs and steep roads, there's always a wash-out somewhere. One time (not too long ago) a huge chunk of highway just slid right off. Glad I wasn't driving on it that day!
ReplyDeleteJeez! I'm glad you weren't driving on the highway then either. I hope no one was hurt in it!
DeleteEwwww mudslides!
ReplyDeleteLOL!
DeleteWe have some real big mudslides here. Driving down the freeway you can see large sections of hills that have collapsed. Fortunately no houses were involved.
ReplyDeleteStephen Tremp
A to Z Cohost
M is for Movies
That would be interesting to see. I'm glad no houses have been touched by those mudslides.
DeleteMudslides sure are tasty but I definitely wouldn't want to be anywhere near a real one!!
ReplyDeleteNow I want to try one.
DeleteGreat one! I was wondering what you'd come up with for M
ReplyDeleteThanks! ;)
DeleteI tried the mudslide drink once and it was a little too chocolaty for my tastes. since it is flat where we live we don't have issues with mudslides, just flooding after rain.
ReplyDeleteSean at His and Her Hobbies
A deep love of chocolate is probably a good thing to have to try a mudslide drink.
DeleteFlooding sucks. I experience that whenever it rains too.
Nah, we live on top of a hill, so if the mud goes, we go with it... XD There was a book I used to read as a kid that had a story about a mudslide that buried a school somewhere in the USA, and I always thought it was terrifying...
ReplyDelete@TarkabarkaHolgy from
Multicolored Diary - Epics from A to Z
MopDog - 26 Ways to Die in Medieval Hungary
Haha! I'm sorry but I couldn't help but laugh at that. Whoa, I never heard about that.
DeleteNever tried a mudslide, but they sound nice (the drink that is ;)). We live on a hill, but it's all houses around us and we're near the top so no mudslides here. I saw you mention Mars - did you see NASA believe Mars could have liquid water?
ReplyDeleteTasha
Tasha's Thinkings | Wittegen Press | FB3X (AC)
Good thing you're at the top of the hill. I didn't hear that, but it doesn't surprise me since Mars is the most like Earth.
DeleteA wall of earth rushing at you would be terrifying.
ReplyDeleteMore so than a wall of dust.
DeleteGood to read but not so good to be in. I wouldn't like to be caught in that.
ReplyDeleteYvonne.
Nor would I.
DeleteI'm so close to Lake Ontario that it's too flat for mudslides, thank goodness. I've never heard of the mass movements on other planets.
ReplyDeleteI hadn't either until I did research. It's neat to know how other planets have weather and other types of events like we do.
DeleteHave heard of mud slides, but haven't heard of the drink!
ReplyDeleteThe drink is new to me too.
DeleteOh those? We have them all the time in Nigeria. No, just kidding. What we have are muddy waters when it rains. Lol
ReplyDeleteLOL! :P
DeleteMudslides terrify me.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with the A to Z Challenge!
A to Z Co-Host S. L. Hennessy
http://pensuasion.blogspot.com/
I can see why.
DeleteI recall from living in Cali that mudslides are pretty scary stuff. Now I live in an area as flat as can be but feel great sympathy for those in areas prone to mudslides. I've never tried a mudslide drink.
ReplyDeleteCalifornia has to deal with a lot of disasters from earthquakes to mudslides and wildfires.
DeleteI see mudslides on TV, and they are just horrifying. Especially when you see houses fall off the edge of a cliff.
ReplyDeleteSeeing houses fall of cliffs is so heartbreaking.
DeleteA bad mudslide happened not far from where I am years ago. Now there is a ghost town as a result.
ReplyDeleteWow! That is sad.
DeleteThere is one town in the states that is now buried. I think it happened in the 30's but don't quote me. Thankfully I do not live on the side of any gulley or anything like that. I was not sure if you were going to talk about the great Molasses flood? Oh and I never did try that drink
ReplyDeleteI talked about floods for F but I forgot to mention The Great Molasses Flood. I remember learning about that as a kid.
DeleteA mudslide nearly devastated one of my favorite towns in the whole world - Vernazza, Italy. The central street coming down from the hills was like a magnet for mud. It's been saved though.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the recipe - I have to admit, upon seeing your title, the drink was where my mind automatically went!
I'm glad about that!
DeleteHaha! Then it's a good thing I mentioned it. ;)
I'm on the prairies, so I think I'm safe from mudslides. :) I remember trying the drink back in the day, but it's definitely been awhile!
ReplyDeleteI think you are too. ;)
DeleteThere are certain roads in Scotland that seem to suffer from mudslides every year - scary! Thanks for visiting Anabel's Travel Blog.
ReplyDeleteThat is scary. Especially if you have to drive down them.
DeleteMy parents live in North Carolina in the mountains. Two years ago a mudslide took out the road right down the mountain from their house. Not a mudslide on to the road, the road literally slide down the mountain! The DOT folks were right on it and had it fixed quickly, which was amazing! Glad no one was on the road when it went! Lisa, co-host AtoZ 2015, @ http://www.lisabuiecollard.com
ReplyDeleteWhoa! It is a very good thing no one was on that road.
DeleteI think I'd rather take snow that mud avalanch-ing at me
ReplyDeleteI think I would too.
DeleteThere have been a couple of mudslides in Cornwall over the years - the results are devastating.
ReplyDeleteAnnalisa, writing A-Z vignettes, at Wake Up, Eat, Write, Sleep
They are devastating. What is left behind is heart-wrenching.
DeleteYes, have had Mississippi mudslides from time to time. One of the most requested drinks when I have company over. Kahlua is good. :)
ReplyDeleteAnd I've never even tried the drink. I need to fix that!
DeletePost Haste!
DeleteWe've had mudslides here and they are very intimidating. The image of the bust in the middle of the mud is quite poignant. There's a story to tell.
ReplyDeleteA story indeed.
DeleteYes, I have drunk a mudslide - they are really nice.
ReplyDeleteI am glad I have never experienced the more serious type!
Sophie
Sophie's Thoughts & Fumbles
FB3X
Wittegen Press
I'm glad too. For both of us!
DeleteThat's why I prefer to live up higher and not on the sides of unstable areas. We have had mudslides up here in our interior which have buried cars, and one rock and mudslide which devastated a wide swathe of land near one of our highways. Sometimes the reason is due to weather (deluges of rain) or unstable areas due to blasting through highways in earlier decades. It's a good idea to research before you buy. Even travelling in these areas can be hazardous at certain times.
ReplyDeleteResearching before you buy is a very smart idea. Not many people think to do that.
DeleteIn 2014 Washington state had another mudslide that covered a square mile and killed 43 people in rural Oso. Relatives began contacting relatives all over the state. My sister, it turns out, knew one of the victims. The Mt. St. Helens landslide is still visible....and all the trees are still lying flat and bare from the eruption; it looks like a nuclear blast. Thanks for sharing, Chrys. Interesting post!
ReplyDeleteInventions by Women A-Z
Shells–Tales–Sails
I remember that slide. The images were terrible. I'm sorry for your sister's friend.
DeleteNature's mudslide? No thanks I'll pass. Alcoholic mudslide? Sure, give me one. ;)
ReplyDelete~Patricia Lynne aka Patricia Josephine~
Member of C. Lee's Muffin Commando Squad
Story Dam
Patricia Lynne, Indie Author
Haha! I'll whip one up for you right now. ;)
DeleteI've never drank a mudslide but my sister lives in Washington state and was near some of the mudslides that buried some small towns.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad she's okay. Those slides were horrible.
DeleteMudslides are pretty scary. When I first saw the title of this, though, my first thought was of the alcoholic drink with ice cream!
ReplyDeleteYou're not the only one to think that. ;)
DeleteI've always loved mud, the thicker, the better, but I don't think I'd like living in the vicinity of a potential mudslide.
ReplyDeletePlaying in mud when you're little is fun, bot not a mudslide.
DeleteIt is sad to think of something as fun as "mud" can be so destructive. I prefer to just think of mud pies and cute little pigs covered in mud ;)
ReplyDeleteYou can find me there:
ClarabelleRant
I prefer to think about those things too.
DeleteBuahaha! Clever you in bringing up the mudslide recipe! We live at the bottom of a mountain, but more outside of the muddy ranges. Where we live, is rocky, but people who life on the actual foot are in danger of flooding, I've heard.
ReplyDeleteElizabeth Mueller
AtoZ 2015
My Little Pony
Thank you! I thought some would get a kick out of that. :)
DeleteThe mudslide that comes in a glass sounds like the best type.
ReplyDeleteIt sure is! ;)
DeleteThey can move houses?! Boy, I'm glad I live in a place that's relatively flat.
ReplyDeleteThey sure can. And so am I!
DeleteHappy halfway day!! Ah yes, mudslides: one of the reasons I don't want to live in California...
ReplyDeleteThank you, Liz! :D
DeleteNever tried the drink. Live at the top of a sloped hill... hoping to stay put for many years!
ReplyDeleteI hope you stay put too. :)
DeleteI'm not in an area prone to mudslides *shudders*. I did go to see Mt. St. Helens a few years after the eruption. The destruction was amazing.
ReplyDeleteThat would have been something to see.
DeleteI've seen some crazy mud slides on tv but thankfully I've never been in one.
ReplyDeleteSo have I.
DeleteI've gone mud sliding at camp, but I've never been in a mudslide. They seem terrifying!
ReplyDeleteMud sliding sounds like fun.
DeleteJust a couple years ago there was a huge mudslide about 35 miles from me in Arlington, WA, the Oso Mudslide. Hundreds of people died and the survivor stories are crazy. It was so sad the first few days as families waited in hopes of finding survivors, but the last survivor was rescued just a few hours after the whole neighborhood slid off a hill and was buried. It had rained for a couple weeks almost straight that year, which is part of what caused it, but also logging above the site is a factor. This stuff is real.
ReplyDeleteThat's terrible! I can only image the fear and anxiety of families wanting to know about their loved ones.
DeleteThanks for this info. I love how informative your theme is. I would have to say mudslides aren't common where I live, but they still scare me. #shivers
ReplyDeleteThank you, SA. #shivers...I like that.
DeleteI haven't tried the mudslider drink, but might this summer ;)
ReplyDeleteI haven't been in a mud slide but parts of California around the beach are notorious for slipping and sliding when there is a lot of rain and the houses are built on sides of hills. That would be too nerve wracking for me to live in those kind of conditions, always fearful when a big storm came through.
betty
I could leave live on the side of a hill in California.
DeleteNever had a mudslide, at least I don't think so (college years are a little fuzzy). Nor would I want to be anywhere near one.
ReplyDeleteHaha...college years are a little fuzzy. ;P
DeleteMudslides are horrible!!! It's the stuff nightmares are made of.
ReplyDeleteEvery time I see pictures of expansive neighborhoods clinging on the edge of hilly terrain, I think "those upper level homes could slide right into the lower level homes...all it would take is a mudslide..."
They sure would. You';d have to be crazy to live in a neighborhood like that.
DeleteI've tried a mudslide drink and love it. Haven't had one for a while. I remember the Mt. St. Helen's eruption as we lived not too far away. Today was kind of like a mudslide day. One thing goes wrong and then it's a 'landslide' of weird mishaps. SIGH. call it a day and try again tomorrow. I can't believe all the natural disasters that happen! We're only at 'M'!
ReplyDeleteAnd there's still a lot more disasters to come.
DeleteMudslides have caused horrendous loss of life. I never knew the St Helen's one was the biggest. Mudslides, the drink, are much nicer!
ReplyDeleteAlso, Chrys, am reading Witch of Death and it is AMAZING.
Denise :-)
The drink is a lot nicer and safer too.
DeleteTHANK YOU!!!!! :D
How horrific. I live in Florida, where it's flat, so no mudslides.
ReplyDeleteI live in Florida too. :)
DeleteWe didn't have real mudslides where I grew up, but we cleaned up a lot of mud when then house flooded from the rains.
ReplyDeleteScribbles From Jenn - Visiting from the A to Z Challenge
Cleaning up mud is not fun.
DeleteI have a fear of mud, it's dream I have all the time...
ReplyDeleteJeremy [Retro]
AtoZ Challenge Co-Host [2015]
There's no earthly way of knowing.
Which direction we are going!
HOLLYWOOD NUTS!
Come Visit: You know you want to know if me or Hollywood... is Nuts?
A fear of mud...that's interesting. But I guess there's a fear of everything, right? I hope I didn't cause any nightmares with this post.
DeleteHi Chrys .. I'd hate to be in a mud-slide .. horrific thing to experience or to die in .. and so much destruction ... Hilary
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't want to be in one either.
DeleteThe frozen mudslide drink is great because it combines two natural disasters: mudslides and ice/avalanches!
ReplyDeleteNot to mention chocolate. I remember the Smothers Brothers song, "I fell in a vat of chocolate.. Oh, I fell in a vat of chocolate..." So maybe chocolate is a natural disaster for C....
Oh yum. That sounds good. :)
DeleteYep, I'd have to take a dust storm over a mudslide - any day. My heart goes out to those who lose homes and loved ones...
ReplyDeleteThe drink is good, maybe too good! :-)
I would too. A dust storm seems a lot more survivable than a mudslide.
DeleteI used to fantasize living at the bottom of a mountain away from the crowd, with possibly a lake where I'd fetch water at dawn every morning. But yes, it would be scary to really live there. Chances of escaping a mudslide seem dim.
ReplyDeleteThat does sound wonderful, though.
DeleteI remember many mudslides, in particular one in Devon, England where a lot of school kids were killed.
ReplyDeleteThat's so sad!
DeleteI remember watching images of the California mudslides on tv- so scary! Between that, the wildfires and the earthquakes it's gotta be one of the most dangerous places on the continent.
ReplyDeleteI agree!
Delete