Kichatna Rockslide

The granite spires of the Kichatnas tower over timeless glaciers that continually sculpt their flanks in slow motion over eons. And yet, sometimes this enduring landscape changes in an instant. Massive rockslides—sometimes triggered by earthquakes—can cascade from the mountains to swallow whole valleys in fresh rock. While flying one summer day, I discovered a new rockslide that had plunged to bury the glacier in lobes of rubble reaching downhill. It struck me that I was witnessing the tick and flow of geology in real time.