Articles | Volume 22, issue 10
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-3309-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-3309-2022
© Author(s) 2022. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
13 Oct 2022
Research article |
| 13 Oct 2022
| 13 Oct 2022
Pre-collapse motion of the February 2021 Chamoli rock–ice avalanche, Indian Himalaya
Maximillian Van Wyk de Vries
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
St. Anthony Falls Laboratory, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, L3 5DA, UK
School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3QY, UK
Invited contribution by Maximillian Van Wyk de Vries, recipient of the Virtual Outstanding Student and PhD candidate Presentation (vOSPP) Award 2021.
Shashank Bhushan
Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
Mylène Jacquemart
Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology (VAW), ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research (WSL), Birmensdorf, Switzerland
César Deschamps-Berger
CESBIO, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, CNES, IRD, INRAE, UPS, Toulouse, France
Etienne Berthier
LEGOS, Université de Toulouse, CNES, CNRS, IRD, UPS, Toulouse, France
Simon Gascoin
CESBIO, Université de Toulouse, CNRS, CNES, IRD, INRAE, UPS, Toulouse, France
David E. Shean
Civil & Environmental Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
Dan H. Shugar
Water, Sediment, Hazards, & Earth-surface Dynamics (waterSHED) Lab, Department of Geoscience, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
Andreas Kääb
Department of Geosciences, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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Cited
21 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Multi-frequency seismic evidence for phase transitions in a rock–ice avalanche-triggered cascading Hazard in the Yanzigou Basin, Southeastern Tibetan Plateau Z. Wu et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2026.108910
- Anomalous summer warming drove the destabilization of the 2021 Chamoli ice-rock avalanche W. Yang et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-025-02634-4
- Detection of slow‐moving landslides through automated monitoring of surface deformation using Sentinel‐2 satellite imagery M. Van Wyk de Vries et al. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.5775
- Investigating the triggers and impacts of the chamoli rock and ice avalanche using remote sensing techniques S. Sivalingam et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-025-05987-x
- Particle-size-dependent influence of minor interstitial meltwater on rock-ice avalanche kinematics and rheology: Insights from flume experiments Q. Yang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coldregions.2026.105022
- Comprehensive susceptibility assessment of continental glacier ice avalanches: a case study of glaciers on the northwestern Tibetan Plateau Y. Shang et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-024-02348-z
- Assessing potential risk of glacier avalanches to hydropower infrastructure in the Himalayan region S. Laha et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-023-06389-w
- Landslide monitoring: DenseNET and image segmentation techniques to classify type and compute run-out displacement and hazard area S. Gunjan et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-025-07431-9
- Ice-patch collapse and early-warning implications from a Himalayan flash flood: emerging cryo-hydrological hazards under deglaciation G. Dandabathula et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44304-026-00191-x
- Process of a rock avalanche-debris flow in the southeast Tibetan Plateau S. Xie et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrmge.2025.07.024
- GLAcier Feature Tracking testkit (GLAFT): a statistically and physically based framework for evaluating glacier velocity products derived from optical satellite image feature tracking W. Zheng et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4063-2023
- Basin-scale inventory and exposure assessment of hanging glaciers, Central Himalaya N. Krishnan et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44304-026-00205-8
- Role of remote sensing and geotechnical studies in assessing the landslide vulnerability in the Chamoli region of Uttarakhand, India S. Singh et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-025-06498-0
- Development of a coupled DDA–SPH method and its application to fracture and dynamic simulation of ice-rock interaction Q. Wang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2025.108310
- Time‐dependent analysis and stability evaluation of plane rotary landslides: Insights from a case study J. Huang et al. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.5873
- Avalanche susceptibility mapping and event scale meteorological analysis of the Mana Village avalanche J. Bansal et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44288-026-00705-0
- Geomorphic Process Chains in High‐Mountain Regions—A Review and Classification Approach for Natural Hazards Assessment P. Mani et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022RG000791
- Ice-rock avalanches in a warming Himalaya indicate pathways toward effective preparedness R. Ahmed et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-026-03352-y
- Rock and ice avalanche-generated catastrophic debris flow at Chamoli, 7 February 2021: New insights from the geomorphic perspective H. Wang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2024.109110
- Rock-ice avalanche-generated erosion behaviors at the Sedongpu gully, Tibet, China: New insights from the geomorphologic perspective T. Zhang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jseaes.2024.106403
- Improved records of glacier flow instabilities using customized NASA autoRIFT (CautoRIFT) applied to PlanetScope imagery J. Liu et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3571-2024
21 citations as recorded by crossref.
- Multi-frequency seismic evidence for phase transitions in a rock–ice avalanche-triggered cascading Hazard in the Yanzigou Basin, Southeastern Tibetan Plateau Z. Wu et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2026.108910
- Anomalous summer warming drove the destabilization of the 2021 Chamoli ice-rock avalanche W. Yang et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-025-02634-4
- Detection of slow‐moving landslides through automated monitoring of surface deformation using Sentinel‐2 satellite imagery M. Van Wyk de Vries et al. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.5775
- Investigating the triggers and impacts of the chamoli rock and ice avalanche using remote sensing techniques S. Sivalingam et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00704-025-05987-x
- Particle-size-dependent influence of minor interstitial meltwater on rock-ice avalanche kinematics and rheology: Insights from flume experiments Q. Yang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coldregions.2026.105022
- Comprehensive susceptibility assessment of continental glacier ice avalanches: a case study of glaciers on the northwestern Tibetan Plateau Y. Shang et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-024-02348-z
- Assessing potential risk of glacier avalanches to hydropower infrastructure in the Himalayan region S. Laha et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-023-06389-w
- Landslide monitoring: DenseNET and image segmentation techniques to classify type and compute run-out displacement and hazard area S. Gunjan et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-025-07431-9
- Ice-patch collapse and early-warning implications from a Himalayan flash flood: emerging cryo-hydrological hazards under deglaciation G. Dandabathula et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44304-026-00191-x
- Process of a rock avalanche-debris flow in the southeast Tibetan Plateau S. Xie et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrmge.2025.07.024
- GLAcier Feature Tracking testkit (GLAFT): a statistically and physically based framework for evaluating glacier velocity products derived from optical satellite image feature tracking W. Zheng et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-17-4063-2023
- Basin-scale inventory and exposure assessment of hanging glaciers, Central Himalaya N. Krishnan et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s44304-026-00205-8
- Role of remote sensing and geotechnical studies in assessing the landslide vulnerability in the Chamoli region of Uttarakhand, India S. Singh et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-025-06498-0
- Development of a coupled DDA–SPH method and its application to fracture and dynamic simulation of ice-rock interaction Q. Wang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2025.108310
- Time‐dependent analysis and stability evaluation of plane rotary landslides: Insights from a case study J. Huang et al. https://doi.org/10.1002/esp.5873
- Avalanche susceptibility mapping and event scale meteorological analysis of the Mana Village avalanche J. Bansal et al. https://doi.org/10.1007/s44288-026-00705-0
- Geomorphic Process Chains in High‐Mountain Regions—A Review and Classification Approach for Natural Hazards Assessment P. Mani et al. https://doi.org/10.1029/2022RG000791
- Ice-rock avalanches in a warming Himalaya indicate pathways toward effective preparedness R. Ahmed et al. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-026-03352-y
- Rock and ice avalanche-generated catastrophic debris flow at Chamoli, 7 February 2021: New insights from the geomorphic perspective H. Wang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2024.109110
- Rock-ice avalanche-generated erosion behaviors at the Sedongpu gully, Tibet, China: New insights from the geomorphologic perspective T. Zhang et al. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jseaes.2024.106403
- Improved records of glacier flow instabilities using customized NASA autoRIFT (CautoRIFT) applied to PlanetScope imagery J. Liu et al. https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-18-3571-2024
Saved (final revised paper)
Latest update: 04 Sep 2026
Short summary
On 7 February 2021, a large rock–ice avalanche occurred in Chamoli, Indian Himalaya. The resulting debris flow swept down the nearby valley, leaving over 200 people dead or missing. We use a range of satellite datasets to investigate how the collapse area changed prior to collapse. We show that signs of instability were visible as early 5 years prior to collapse. However, it would likely not have been possible to predict the timing of the event from current satellite datasets.
On 7 February 2021, a large rock–ice avalanche occurred in Chamoli, Indian Himalaya. The...
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