Situation assessment as of Wednesday, January 8, 2025
Current monitoring indicates no immediate risk of major landslides or dangerous wave run-ups in inhabited areas of the Uummannaq fjord system. However, minor rock falls may occur on unstable mountain slopes marked in red in Figures 1 and 2. It is not advisable to stay in the vicinity of the rock slopes in these areas.
Summary of monitoring data collected from beginning of December 2024
The registered movements and rockfall activity in the monitored mountain slopes are illustrated as colored areas on the maps below in Figures 1 and 2. The blue areas indicate identified movements, while the red areas mark locations with repeated rockfalls since the beginning of December 2024.
Monitoring data collected in December 2024 document multiple rockfall incidents of varying magnitudes in both Umiammakku Nunaat and Kangerluarsuk. The rockfalls primarily occurred in steep and unstable mountain slopes and are assessed to have been caused by freeze-thaw weathering.
The next situational assessment will be published on Wednesday, February 12, 2025. However, should critical changes occur in the monitored mountain slopes, an update will be issued earlier.
Drone Data from Umiammakku Nunaat and Kangerluarsuk Over the Last Three Summers
Analysis of field data from summer 2024 is still ongoing. Over the past three summers, the Landslide Group has conducted fieldwork in the monitored areas. One of the methods employed has been drone surveys of unstable mountain slopes to systematically collect high-resolution photos for 3D mapping. These data reveal year-to-year changes, which are presented as graphical illustrations in Figures 3, 4 and 5.
The changes observed in 2023–2024 are, overall, of the same magnitude as those recorded in 2022–2023, with variations of a more localized nature in both Umiammakku Nunaat and Kangerluarsuk.
Analysis of the remaining collected data is expected to be completed by the end of February 2025, and updated rockslide scenarios are anticipated to be finalized by the end of March 2025.
