2024 Wayanad landslides: Study reveals the interplay of climate and geology
A new study published in the journal Landslides suggests that the 2024 Wayanad disaster was caused by a combination of extreme rainfall and underlying geological vulnerabilities. Researchers used drone-mounted LiDAR and field mapping to identify how ancient rock deformations contributed to the catastrophic slope failure.
Why it matters
Understanding the geological precursors to landslides is critical for disaster mitigation and urban planning in vulnerable mountainous regions like the Western Ghats.
The devastating 2024 Wayanad landslides cannot be attributed to extreme rainfall alone but was also likely influenced by a combination of geological, geomorphological and structural factors, according to a new study published in the international peer-reviewed journal Landslides .
The study, published online on the journal’s website, notes that while intense monsoon rain triggered the collapse, underlying geological conditions played a critical role in determining where the landslide began, how it travelled, and why it became one of the most destructive landslides recorded in the Western Ghats. The study was conducted by researchers from the University of Kerala, the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Mohali, and Savitribai Phule Pune University.
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