Shrinking Permafrost, Shallow Groundwater, Saturated Rocks: any Wonder why Mountains turn to Mud?

Taking a look at collapsed mountains

Fluchthorn Mountain, Credit, Men’s Journal

In June, the main peak of Mount Fluchthorn, on the border of Austria and Switzerland, collapsed without warning, roughly four million cubic feet of earth tumbling down, filling the space below the peak with forty Olympic swimming pools' worth of rocks, mud, and dirt.

A week before the event, a mountain collapsed in China's southwestern province of Sichuan at a forest farm in Yong-Sheng Township, Jinkouhe district of the city, the rubble falling and rolling on the surrounding structures, including a hostel housing personnel from all over the country.

In March last year, Peru found itself in a pathetic situation, when a mountain collapsed in the La Libertad region in the northern part of the country, with hundreds of tons of rubble from the mountain top crashing down the slope.

These incidents show the rising occurrence of mountain collapses, with others including the partial collapse of the Sugar Loaf Mountain in Sierra Leone, the collapse of ice glaciers on the Marmolada Mountain in Italy, the collapse of a section of a mountain in the northwest province of Gansu in China, just a few of the number of mountains collapsing in the recent past.

Permafrost covers 24 percent of the surface of land masses in the northern hemisphere, but they have been melting through a 0.29 degrees Celsius rise in temperatures, leading to the shrinking of the permafrost area by 81,000 square miles per decade from 1921 to 2005.

As the permafrost shrinks, it promotes shallow groundwater flow and accelerates the transformation of land surfaces of mountains, as well as threatens the release of lots of the 1,700 billion tons of global organic material.

Apart from the release of organic material, the shrinking of the permafrost brings additional risks, as hydraulic saturation becomes suddenly exceeded, one of the reasons accounting for the crashing down of more than 100,000 cubic meters of debris from Mount Fluchthorn.

In other words, climate change proves once again to be factor on the issue, because the heat results to the shrinking of the permafrost through rises in temperatures, a process ensuring increased groundwater flow and the subsequent collapse of mountains, as the rocks fall apart from water penetrating deep into places plugged with permafrost ice in a past era.

Around 81.6 million, approximately 1.1 percent of the world's human population live permanently at altitudes above 2,500 meters, while 720 million people or 12 percent of the planet's population live generally in mountain regions, with global mountain population rising from 550 million in 1975 to over 1,050 million in 2015.

A lot of the world's indigenous and local community people live permanently on most of the planet's mountains, with 34 percent of mountain inhabitants living in cities, 31 percent in towns and semi-dense areas, and 35 percent in rural areas.

Though mountains account for about 25 percent of the planet's land area, they provide home for the world's amphibian, bird, and mammal population, as more than 85 percent of them live permanently here, including snow leopards, mountain goats, gazelles, cougars, and others.

All the major rivers of the world locate their headwaters in mountain regions, and the humans that live permanently in this part of the earth depend on the water from the rivers as a means of survival, such as the 1.4 million people in La Paz and El Alto in Bolivia who live  4,900 meters above the sea level.

The millions of humans and animals living permanently in mountain areas now find their lives threatened through climate change, which leads to the shrinking of the permafrost from temperature rises, a condition that brings about hundreds of tons of rubbles crashing down from mountain collapses the world over, leading to the huge costs in economic terms.

Cooperation at regional levels could bring regionally-tailored solutions. Exchanges on national level could lead to nationally-tailored solutions. Ideas on international level could lead to internationally-acceptable adaptations. But such solutions may need to take climate change into account, especially in relations to fossil fuel consumption, which needs to be slashed to slow down the pace of mountain collapses.

Five Surging Electric Mobility Companies

Some of the top electric mobility companies include Tesla, NIO, BYD, Rivian, and Lucid Motors. However, the electric mobility industry is rapidly evolving, so I recommend checking the latest sources for the most up-to-date information.

(1) Tesla is a clean energy company founded in 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning. Elon Musk, JB Straubel, Ian Wright, and others joined later. It's headquartered in Palo Alto, California. Tesla is known for its innovative electric vehicles, energy storage solutions, and solar products. Some of its popular electric car models include the Model S, Model 3, Model X, and Model Y.

Tesla gained significant attention for its advanced electric vehicle technology, long-range capabilities, and Autopilot features that offer semi-autonomous driving. 

The company's goal is to accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy by promoting electric transportation and renewable energy sources.

(2) NIO is a Chinese vehicle manufacturer founded in 2014 by William Li. The company is headquartered in Shanghai, China. NIO is known for producing high-performance electric vehicles and is often referred to as "China's Tesla."

NIO's vehicle lineup includes electric SUVs, starting with the NIO ES8, followed by the smaller ES6 and the more recently introduced EC6. The company focuses on combining cutting-edge technology, sleek design, and impressive performance in its vehicle.

(3) BYD is a major Chinese automaker based in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province. It sells vehicles under the BYD brand. Founded in 1995, BYD started out as a battery maker and entered the automobile business in 2003. The company has diversified into areas such as cellphone assembly and solar cell manufacturing.

(4) Rivian is an American electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer that specializes in producing electric trucks and SUVs. Founded in 2009 by R.J. Scaringe, the company gained attention for its innovative approach to electric vehicle design and technology. Rivian's vehicles are built on a flexible platform that integrates their proprietary "skateboard" chassis, which houses the battery, motors, suspension, and other components.

(5) Lucid Motors is an American automotive company that specializes in electric vehicles (EVs). Founded in 2007, the company focuses on creating luxury electric cars and aims to compete with established brands in the EV market. One of their notable products is the Lucid Air, a high-performance luxury electric sedan that boasts impressive range and advanced technology features.

What to Eat

Chinese vegan diet, Credit, Epicurious