Glacier collapse in Nepal unleashes catastrophic flood
A massive wall of water and debris swept through a Himalayan valley, destroying buildings and raising urgent questions about climate-driven disasters in vulnerable regions.
What to know
- A glacier collapse in Nepal triggered a massive flood carrying house-sized boulders that destroyed buildings in seconds, raising global concern about climate-driven disasters.
- The disaster has sparked urgent discussion about the physics of moving water and predictions that such events will increase as glaciers destabilize from warming.
- Commenters highlight a stark climate justice issue: poorer nations like Nepal experience the worst impacts of global warming despite contributing least to the problem.
The dispute Minor technical disagreement over whether the material moving is primarily ice chunks, a cement-like slurry of rock and mud, or a large weathered boulder—but no fundamental dispute about the cause or significance. · positions read across 76 posts and comments
This disaster exemplifies climate change's disproportionate harm to developing nations who are least responsible for global warming.
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“What happened in Nepal is beyond horrific in comprehension. The catastrophe of Global Warming for all the world to see.”
guttersharp.bsky.social · Bluesky ↗
People fundamentally underestimate the sheer physical power of moving water and flowing debris.
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“You don't realize the power of water until you watch it casually roll a boulder the size of a house down a valley in Nepal.”
matthewjohnson.bsky.social · Bluesky ↗
The disaster reveals the emotional and existential weight of witnessing nature's catastrophic power.
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“I cannot imagine the terror of that moment. I accidentally watched a video of people running away from it this morning and have spent today feeling extremely fragile and mortal.”
pastafariantofu.bsky.social · Bluesky ↗
Nepal Location of glacier collapse and floodMatthew Johnson Social media observer
The record 1 articles and posts · last 28 days
What people are saying 24 voices from 1 site · best of 76 · verbatim
- Will similar glacier-collapse floods become more frequent as global warming continues?
- What can be done to protect communities in glacier-prone regions from these increasingly severe events?
- Aug 27
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Wow! And I thought this one was already impressive 🪨
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I heard someone describe it as a land tsunami. I cannot imagine the terror of that moment. I accidentally watched a video of people running away from it this morning and have spent today feeling extremely fragile and mortal.
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It looks rather like a rock that has been weathered in a stream for a long time. I'd wager it's a rock that has been making its way down that river slowly and this was enough flow to get it really moving. I feel like ice would have broken apart being treated like that.
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fr fr a while back i was swimming in Malibu on the day of a full moon and the current was especially strong. one inch of water returning to the ocean knocked me flat FAST like my feet were chained to a truck.
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When it first hits, imagine it more like cement mixture travelling at 60mph, rather than water.
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A cubic metres if that slurry, probably contains half a cubic metre of rock and dirt. Imagine it more like cement mixture, travelling at 70 mph!
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There was an article I read years ago about this very scenario. Can’t remember all the details but a dangerous river was predicted to destroy everything if a large unstable mass of glacier mud & rock collapsed high in the Himalayan highlands. So very very sad & horrifying.
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J
This must be how the 1889 Johnstown (PA) flood played out. Caused by a failed dam upriver that was supposed to be maintained by the wealthiest Pittsburgh men who had an exclusive resort there. 2200 killed.
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Truly one of the most horrifying things I’ve ever seen.
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Our local Fox station said Nepal had suffered a mud slide when describing this! Since they were showing the video at the same time I was obviously astounded at their choice of words.
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It's the poorer nations that will suffer sooner and suffer more than the nations most responsible for the changes to our climate. That's why it gets ignored for so long.
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While water moving at that speed and with that volume is capable of moving a boulder of several tons that boulder would likely be moving under water not at the surface.
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SO, so true. I lived in the Black Hills of SD when a creek near my home flooded, about 2 inches rushed over the road. I've been telling people for years they have no clue about the power of water. I was scared shitless to even put a toe in that.
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Coastal Georgian. Grew up on the water. Every year ppl come to our local beach, ignore the warning signs, walk out beyond the signs 🛑 during low tide & get stranded/drown when the tide comes in. If you don’t respect & understand the power of water, you have NO BUSINESS being around water.
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I took care of enough quadriplegics from surfing accidents. I have a very healthy respect for the power of moving water. Mother Nature always wins. #Floods #Water
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Or when you see a large stone building washed away in just a couple of seconds as seen in this horrifying video.
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3inches of flowing water can knock you off your feet. What happened in Nepal is beyond horrific in comprehension. The catastrophe of Global Warming for all the world to see.
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What people don't realise is how dense water is. A cubic metre weighs a metric ton. Now multiply that by the number of cubic metres passing here and you can see that it's a pretty well irresistible force
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So much damage and destruction This is what climate change looks like Just heartbreaking
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Since the flood was allegedly caused by a glacier collapsing, I'm going with a rocky chunk of ice.
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Horrible to see,heart goes out to those affected
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I also suspect it's ice. The physics doesn't look to match something that is about three times denser than water. Still some awful images. This will unfortunately get more common when old glaciers fails from global warming, and loses their ancient grip on mountains.
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The scenes from Nepal are frightening. Absolutely raw power on display by rushing water.
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M
You don't realize the power of water until you watch it casually roll a boulder the size of a house down a valley in Nepal.