The Kolka–Karmadon rock-ice slide occurred on the northern slope of the
Mount Kazbek
Mount Kazbek or Mount Kazbegi, , romanized: ''q'azbegi''; ; ; ; is a dormant stratovolcano and one of the major mountains of the Caucasus Mountains, Caucasus, located in Georgia (country), Georgia, just south of the border with Russia.
Lying ...
massif
A massif () is a principal mountain mass, such as a compact portion of a mountain range, containing one or more summits (e.g. France's Massif Central). In mountaineering literature, ''massif'' is frequently used to denote the main mass of an ...
in
North Ossetia–Alania
North Ossetia–Alania (; ), officially the Republic of North Ossetia–Alania, is a republics of Russia, republic of Russia situated in the North Caucasus of Eastern Europe. It borders the country of Georgia (country), Georgia to the south, a ...
on 20 September 2002, following a partial collapse of the
Kolka Glacier
Kolka Glacier () is a glacier in North Ossetia, Russia, near Mount Kazbek, known for its surging properties. The most recent and the most powerful surge took place on 20 September 2002, resulting in the death of ca. 140 people.
Morphology
The ...
. It started on the north-northeast wall of
Mount Jimara, above sea level, and seriously affected the valley of Genaldon and Karmadon. The resulting
avalanche
An avalanche is a rapid flow of snow down a Grade (slope), slope, such as a hill or mountain. Avalanches can be triggered spontaneously, by factors such as increased precipitation or snowpack weakening, or by external means such as humans, othe ...
and mudflow killed more than 120 people,
including a film crew of 27 people, among them
Russia
Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...
n actor and director
Sergei Bodrov Jr.[(25 September 2002)]
Sergei Bodrov: Russia's lost actor
BBC. Retrieved 20 November 2016. While this type of avalanche is not uncommon, this particular event is considered extraordinary because of several aspects.
Collapse
The main deposit settled from the face of Dzhimarai-Khokh.
A thick chunk of the Kolka Glacier travelled down the
Karmadon Gorge and Koban Valley at over . The outflow of mud and debris measured wide and thick. Two villages along the gorge were under surveillance as flood waters backed up along the choked rivers. It finally came to rest in the village of Nizhniy Karmadon, burying most of the village in ice, snow, and debris. On September 25, a first round of explosives intended to break up the avalanche flow was unsuccessful in reducing flood waters lapping through the village of
Gornaya Saniba. The avalanche had two distinct flows.
Notable victims
*
Sergei Bodrov Jr.
Sergei Sergeyevich Bodrov (; December 27, 1971 – September 20, 2002), also known as Sergei Bodrov Jr., was a Russian actor and screenwriter who had lead roles in the films ''Brother'', '' Prisoner of the Mountains'', ''East/West'' and ''Brother ...
*
Vladimir Kartashov
*
See also
*
List of avalanches
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Kolka-Karmadon rock ice slide
Geography of North Ossetia–Alania
2002 natural disasters
2002 disasters in Russia
Landslides in Europe
Natural disasters in Russia
Landslides in 2002
2000s avalanches
September 2002 in Russia
Avalanches in Europe