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Could an ancient Nevada landslide help us predict disasters?

University of Cincinnati geologist Daniel Sturmer studied an ancient landslide that wiped out an area the size of a small city more than 5 million years ago.
Joseph Fuqua II/UC
University of Cincinnati geologist Daniel Sturmer studied an ancient landslide that wiped out an area the size of a small city more than 5 million years ago.

A massive landslide propelled rock two miles, flattening an area larger than downtown Cincinnati. The rubble stretches over more than seven square miles. The rock avalanche happened more than five million years ago in Nevada, but geologists at the University of Cincinnati have reconstructed it and it could help them predict future landslides.

Their study is published in the Journal of Sedimentary Research.

Joining Cincinnati Edition to discuss the Blue Diamond catastrophe and what we can learn about landslides in our area is University of Cincinnati Department of Geosciences Assistant Professor Daniel Sturmer, Ph.d.

Listen to Cincinnati Edition live at noon M-F. Audio for this segment will be uploaded after 4 p.m. ET.

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