David Petley, a geologist at the University of Sheffield, calls the annual flow “terrifying,” with a “boulder-choked” onset.
Zufferey said the ground trembles during the mudslide and the air reeks of mud and sulfur, which lingers for days.
WSL, Switzerland’s forest, snow and landscape research institute, uses the site to study debris flow. It sets up cameras on Illhorn, which are also used to warn the downstream town of Susten. In 2016, the annual flow was so large that it damaged a lot of the WSL’s instrumentation and cameras. The residents were warned in time this year.
Approximately 25 Olympic swimming pools-worth of mud and debris was discharged in the May 29 mudslide, according to the research institute.