The Chilcotin River drains 19,200 km² of the central Interior Plateau of British Columbia and serves a vital role for First Nation communities in the region for fishing and cultural practices. In the late evening of 30 July 2024, a 5.88 x10⁶ m³ landslide crossed the river from the adjacent valley wall and deposited sediment up to 60 m deep along a 600 m long section of the river, fully damming the river’s flow. The Cariboo Regional District issued evacuation alerts and orders along much of Chilcotin River valley and down past the confluence with the Fraser River, due to imminent safety concerns from flooding once water breached the dam. Over the course of six days, the landslide dam impounded nearly 100 x10⁶ m³ of water, enough to cover Prince George (318 km²) in about 30 cm of water. On the morning of August 5th, the impounded water overtopped the landslide dam, rapidly incised a channel through the debris, and sent a torrent of water and debris down the Chilcotin River valley and into the Fraser River. Our presentation will describe the timeline of the Chilcotin landslide–damming event, outline the geomorphic and historical context of the slide, and discuss the immediate and longer-term impacts of this event.

Dr. Adam Hawkins joined the department of Geography, Earth, and Environmental Science in April 2024 as a term Assistant Professor. A glacial geologist by training, Dr. Hawkins’ research has focused on glacier and climate change in western Canada since the end of the last ice age. He is also interested in improving preparedness and mitigating the impacts from natural hazard events through collaborative interdisciplinary research between earth scientists, government, and communities. When possible, Dr. Hawkins escapes to the otudoors to hike, ski, or climb in the mountains, or paddle our local rivers.

The Natural Resources & Environmental Studies Institute (NRESi) at UNBC hosts a weekly lecture series at the Prince George campus. Anyone from the university or wider community with interest in the topic area is welcome to attend. Presentations are also made available to remote participants through Zoom Webinar. Go to http://www.unbc.ca/nres-institute/colloquium-webcasts to view the presentation remotely.

Past NRESi colloquium presentations and special lectures can be viewed on our video archive, available here.