New sensor provides early warning of landslides
DOI: 10.1063/PT.5.027788
New Scientist : To try to gain advance warning of potentially devastating landslides, like the one that occurred on 22 March in Oso, Washington, researchers at the University of Loughborough in the UK have been developing a new type of sensor system. Called Slope ALARMS , it consists of a series of steel tubes inserted into vertical boreholes drilled into a landslide-prone slope and then filled with gravel. Any movement of the slope causes the gravel to shift, which generates an acoustic emission that can be detected by the device’s sensor. If the signal exceeds a given value, an alert is sent out. Prototype devices have already been installed in Canada and the Italian Alps, and another is scheduled for installation next week in Germany.
