When Will Rattlesnake Ridge Slide Near Yakima ‘Go’? Geologists Say It’s Hard To Predict
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After huge cracks appeared on Rattlesnake Ridge last year, geologists expect a landslide is coming at the mountain near Yakima. But they are having a hard time nailing down just when it will go.
Trevor Contreras is a hazards geologist for the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. At a press conference Friday, he said the Rattlesnake Ridge landslide is moving about 3 inches per day—about 1.7 feet per week.
But since that movement is so consistent, it creates a weird problem for those watching the slide. There aren’t many clues as to when the slide might totally let go.
“It’s not speeding up, it’s not accelerating,” Contreras said. “Because it’s not accelerating—and going such a constant rate—we are projecting that the main event window is hard to determine.”
Contreras said they thought the event would happen from mid-January to mid-March, but now they might push that timeframe out.
Copyright 2018, Northwest News Network
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