GeoEngineers was in Tucson in late June for the American Rock Mechanics Association’s 60th U.S. Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium.
Our own Farnood Sobhbidari presented his research, “Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical Modeling of Creep Phase of Landslides,” co-authored with Andy Caneday. Using the 2017 Mud Creek landslide in California, their multi-block model captures the slow “creep” movement that precedes catastrophic slope failure—pointing to frictional weakening and thermal pressurization as primary drivers of the creep-to-failure transition.
As climate-driven rainfall raises landslide risk, work like this helps lay the groundwork for better prediction and smarter risk mitigation.
Congratulations, Farnood and Andy, for a great contribution to the profession and the chance to highlight it on ARMA’s national stage!
