The crashing rock mass also brought earth and mounds of snow with it. The friction may have resulted in heating, which could have caused the floods, the observations suggest. Scientists from the institute conducted a helicopter survey to find clues what led to the deadly flash floods that swept everything in its way. Our observations suggest that the rock mass may have weakened due to freezing and thawing. “As the rock mass weakened, the glacier and snow came down crashing, it resulted in flash floods,” he said.

Source: The Hindu February 09, 2021 16:10 UTC