PEMBERTON, B.C. — For the second time in a week, a major rock slide has occurred on Joffre Peak, just east of Pemberton, B.C.
Earthquake seismologist John Cassidy says the latest slide happened at 9:03 a.m. on Thursday.
In a social media post, he says it was significant enough to register on seismometers as far as 300 kilometres away on Vancouver Island and was even larger than one picked up by seismometers early Monday from the same peak.
Hydrologist and geoscientist Drew Brayshaw, who has climbed extensively in the area, says it appears the first slide sent a flow of debris more than four kilometres down Cerise Creek, east of Joffre Lakes Provincial Park.
Yesterday a second, probably even larger, rock avalanche occurred on Joffre Peak in British Columbia in Canada, following the first event on Sunday:- https://t.co/0B7hrx1sqk. Image via: Nicholas Zichy: https://t.co/Jst79gP8Yp pic.twitter.com/z4ZXtsKmh3
— Dave Petley (@davepetley) May 17, 2019
He says both slides occurred on the north face of Joffre Peak, which faces away from the provincial park and that neither slide would threaten the park or its well-known turquoise-coloured lakes.
The ministries of highways, environment and forests, as well as Emergency Management BC have not yet commented and the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District says it is up to the provincial government to order a geotechnical assessment of the area.
