After a massive landslide over the Swiss village of Brienz, residents may soon be able to return to their homes permanently. The responsible mayor Daniel Albertin expressed hope on Wednesday during an inspection in Brienz. Roughly 80 people had to leave their homes in May because boulders and boulders on the slope of Pease Lennard Mountain were moving so downward that authorities feared an even larger rockslide or debris flow that could sweep the entire village as well. As reported by »Spektrum. de».
The debris flow broke out on the night of June 16, 2023. Huge amounts of boulders fell down the slope, burying a road and lawns meters under rubble and stopping just meters from the site. According to geologists, the situation on the mountain has calmed down since then. However, a plateau over the sloped area could pose risks in the medium term, said the head of the early warning service, Stefan Schneider.
The precarious slope of Piz Linard is part of a land structure about three square kilometers in length. The sliding movement may have already started at the end of the last Ice Age, when the Alpine glaciers melted. However, the rate of slide traffic has increased in recent years. Although it was only a few centimeters per year, experts were able to measure about 20 centimeters in 2011. In 2020, they discovered that the rock was sliding 1.2 meters per year. Since about 2018, the ridge over the village has also been receding faster; about 4 meters per year.
