Geological mass wasting and mudslides in Malibu, California

¶ … Geological mass wasting, specifically mud slides. For annual fires resulting mud slides Malibu, CA. How mud slide caused, things man prevent slides, damages property infrastructure.

The city of Malibu, California, has a steep topography and the fact that heavy rainfall occurs in the area contributes to land movements being frequent. Such movements can involve rocks being detached from hillsides or mud and debris being spilled in an area and covering most of it under several feet of mass. Although the steep topography and the heavy rainfall are considered by many to be the most important factors causing landslides, vegetation fires denude the area and favor the flow of water and mud.

Mudslides are typically encountered on steep slopes and involve debris and earth that liquefy and accelerate to speeds of up to thirty-five miles per hour. The consistency of mudslides ranges from watery mud to thick, rocky mud that can carry large items such as boulders, trees, and cars" (Miller, 57). In some cases entire pieces of mountainside detach rapidly and develop into a mudslide, thus creating critical conditions.

Vegetation provides an important degree of topographical stability and areas where it is present are less likely to experience mudslides. Wildfires accompanied by heavy rainfall can thus lead to significant disasters as this is practically the recipe for the perfect mudslide. Mudslides are practically caused by disturbances in the normal stability of a slope. As water is rapidly collected within a small area, rock, earth, and debris become soaked and start to move. Construction sites where areas where wildfires recently occurred are responsible for destabilizing the natural stability of slopes and are thus more probable to cause landslides. As a consequence, it is essential for the authorities to focus on raising public awareness concerning the risks associated with these areas and make sure that they reduce possible damage caused by mudslides as much as possible.

It is actually intriguing to look at vegetation as one of the principle motives for mudslides happening in Malibu. There is a natural cycle in the area as floods and rapidly-growing vegetation follow years of drought. This vegetation is later destroyed by wildfires, and, in turn, leads to mudslides (Gutierrez). The process starts over again and again as individuals in Malibu struggle to devise effective methods to reduce the risks. People practically acknowledge that there is very little they can do regarding the problem, but are nonetheless actively involved in reducing the risks of mudslides happening in the territory.

The authorities are actively involved in reducing the damage provoked as a result of mudslides. Highway department crews rapidly mobilize to clear most mudslides and rockfalls, making it possible for most areas to be clean in a matter of days. "However, some unstable areas result in much longer inconvenience for residents, such as the three-month closure of PCH in 1979, the slide blocking lower Rambla Pacifica since 1984, and the slide that partially blocked Rambla Vista in 2005." (Malibu Disasters & Hazards: Slides).

While most individuals consider that it is in their best interest to prevent and avoid mudslides, others actually exploit such events for their amusement. A local individual in Malibu discovered that he could actually surf mudslides are they went downward as long as he had the surfboard required for him to do so and the required insanity. "Mudslide surfers use specially laminated fiberglass boards reinforced with hardened steel sheets built to stand up to the mudslides" (Miller, 57). In spite of the fact that they are happy with their sport, mudslide surfers actually need to concentrate on trying to avoid being caught by debris or large objects accompanying mudslides. Although this is difficult to think of as being an actual sport or as even being real, it is truly intriguing to see how some people can still use humor in situations where all else seems lost.

The authorities are particularly concerned with heavy rainfall as they know that mudslides can occur because of such weather phenomena. As a result, both the authorities and citizens in Malibu are accustomed to going through extensive preparation if they believe that they are at risk of suffering as a result of a mudslide. The authorities typically provide sandbags as a means to prevent water from getting absorbed by areas of land that are probable to remove once they become soaked.