Nepal flood likely triggered by glacier ice avalanche

newsAug 26, 202618222

An international team of scientists says satellite imagery and field evidence point to a huge chunk of glacier shearing off and cascading down a mountainside into the Lhende Khola, a tributary of the Bhote Koshi, triggering the flash floods that tore through parts of Nepal and Tibet. The US Geological Survey first logged a 4.4 magnitude shaking at 8:37 a.m. local time and later said the event was not an earthquake but the landslide itself, which registered like a magnitude 5.2 quake. Researchers led by geologist Daniel Shugar say the event combined a rock landslide with ice and sediment, producing far larger volumes of water and debris than a simple rockfall; the sediment was likely waterlogged by monsoon season. Scientists warn warmer temperatures and accelerating glacier melt in the Hindu Kush Himalaya may have destabilised ice and rock, with ice loss rates in the region doubling since 2000. Experts such as Tom Robinson note the floods resemble glacial lake outburst dynamics, where trapped meltwater is suddenly released and surges down steep valleys. Investigators say it will take weeks to months to establish precisely what happened and how much melting, lake release, or cascade processes each contributed. The event underscores vulnerability for nearly 2 million people who live downstream of Himalayan glaciers and will guide immediate field studies and hazard assessments in the affected valleys.

MadGreek 🧿

@madgreek2024.bsky.social

What happened in Nepal could happen in Juneau, Alaska. Again. The flooding in Nepal was started by a GLOF, a Glacier Lake Outburst Flood. Juneau has experienced a GLOF event, flooding along the Mendenhall River. The next one can be catastrophic. theconversation.com/glacial-lake...

372h ago

That guy2

More like when will it happen? I’d say if you live in Juneau get out, but stay north. It’s all gonna be prime real estate once the tropics and sub tropics all turn to desert.

The New York Times

@nytimes.com

The deadly flooding in Nepal on Wednesday was likely set off at least in part by an enormous chunk of ice snapping off a glacier and cascading thousands of feet to the valley below, according to an initial assessment by a group of geologists and glaciologists.

432h ago

Darin Givens

@atlurbanist.bsky.social

The horrific flood in Nepal was a result of human-caused climate change, in which we are complicit. Yet we stubbornly cling to policies, zoning, & behaviors that make energy-hogging detached homes in forest-killing suburban sprawl, with wide asphalt roads, the dominant form of development. Stop.

381h ago

esodario.bsky.social1

Shouldn’t we call it corporate-caused? Individual humans are not doing/done this. The onus falls on large corporations knowingly polluting.

Darin Givens1

I hate that our "be the change you want to see in the world" energy hits a wall when it comes to urban development. We have the power to build climate-conscious places that reverse the catastrophic effects of the wasteful, sprawling land uses of the last century.

670rv1

Four different articles in Nature Predicted this since 2024 by four different groups - it is time to make climate change deniers shut up! No more tolerance!

Scott Horton

@robertscotthorton.bsky.social

This tragic flood is being linked directly to deglaciation, a central feature of global warming.

181h ago

Yung En Chee

@yungenchee.bsky.social

Absolutely horrific cascading impacts from glacier collapse, debris flow, landslide & flash flooding Thinking of all the people and communities devastated by this terrifying compound event

142h ago

Mostly True News

@mostlytruenews.bsky.social

Some scientist are saying a glacier shearing off because of global warming could have been the trigger of the catastrophic Nepal flood wave. Well, it's not like we haven't been warned.

82h ago

Andrew Rumbach

@andrewrumbach.bsky.social

There is a lot we don't know about the Nepal Tibet flood. Here are some things I suspect, as someone who studies risk just a couple hundred miles away: andrewrumbach.substack.com/p/seven-expe...

91h ago

Quoting this

Dr. Jeff Masters21

Yikes, “News reports say that “dozens” of villages have been severely impacted. When you read “village” you may think of relatively small communities of dozens households, but in reality some of these places likely have thousands or even tens of thousands of people.”

Black Panther🍁💪🦫🇨🇦

@blackpanther25.bsky.social

❗🇨🇦 24 Canadians reportedly among hundreds missing after flash flood in Nepal www.ctvnews.ca/canada/artic...

62h ago

thorjansen

@thorjansen.bsky.social

If this is truly the cause (time will tell), climate change for sure. Glaciers don't just break up for no good reason. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/26/w...

72h ago

Soar

@soaratlas.bsky.social

⛰️🚨 Breaking Satellite imagery from Planet shows the aftermath of floods on the Nepal/Tibet border on Aug 26. The flood swept through the border, leaving a massive trail of destruction. Explore the 3D Map 👉: tinyurl.com/5bmhza5e #Nepal #FloodInNepal #Tibet #China

52h ago

Maya Media

@mayamedia.bsky.social

At least 160 killed, hundreds missing, as flash flood hits Nepal and Tibet youtu.be/0j5Fwr4_g4M

31h ago

🌸𝑑𝑗𝑎𝑑𝑒77🌸

@djade77.bsky.social

Heartbreaking images from the Nepal-China border.. 😞🇳🇵🌊 Thousands left homeless, forced to live in the mountains...🏔️💔 Pray 🙏 for Nepal🇳🇵 #NepalFlood #PrayForNepal #Nepal youtu.be/vCz0uzl_d_c?...

77h ago

Green Promise Initiative International

@greenpromiseintl.bsky.social

Chinese media reports suggest the devastating Bhotekoshi River flood may have been caused by a glacial lake outburst producing a destructive flash flood downstream. Nepal’s latest disaster shows how quickly mountain hazards can escalate. #NepalFlood #GLOF #NepalChinaBorder #ClimateChange

311h ago

newsinc24.bsky.social

@newsinc24.bsky.social

#Nepal is particularly vulnerable to “glacial lake outbursts,” where the vast lakes of water formed by melting glaciers become so full that they burst through the land, www.newsinc24.com/news/was-gla...

32h ago

anti-leaf blower account

@eboldy.bsky.social

there are numerous reasons why I dislike high narrow valleys but that nepal flood is a good example

72h ago

3 sources

nytimes.comDeadly Nepal Flood May Have Been Caused by ‘Ice Avalanche,’ Scientists Say rnz.co.nzWhat we know - and don’t know - about what caused the Nepal flood wave cnn.comWhat we know — and don’t know — about what cause the Nepal flood wave | CNN

Fake US thinktank funded by Israel sought to prime chatbots for pro-Israel propagandanews Nepal flood likely triggered by glacier ice avalanchenews

Nepal flood likely triggered by glacier ice avalanche

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