dowed a major slide. If history is to be any kind cher, a series of smaller rock slides in the was up to 15 metres deep and covering 100 of the highway in the area of the salt sheds, about etres north of Squamish. work was occurring last Tuesday, more rubble I above. And then on Wednesday morning, ers should expect delays of up to four hours on sday and Thursday this week. About 2 1/2 years etres south of where the current slides are occur- iGEIViXhann, a forest industry consultant, can often be $fl-aversing!. proposed logging CLI t blocks or logging ;,’looking for tension cracks or any other sign of bili ty ‘s!I bann said that he has stood just south of the salt &where. .+ one can see a major fault cutting through ’ . He said the area where the slides are occurring is of unusual faulting. In fact, the Cheakamus The Ministry of Transportation and Highways continues to monitor the area of recent rockslides in the Cheakamus is located where it is because of faults in the area. canyon north of Squamish. Brian Goldstone photo intain that you can identify these faults - the stry has to do this on a daily basis.” clues could not have been picked up on.’’ and Highways. said that after the Cheakamus canyon slide The rocks in the area are metavolcanic rocks that have In the slide 2 1/2 years ago, two defined discontinuities ears ago an in-depth study of the area should been heated up and thus altered, resulting in a random in a wedge quite high ~ipon the slope popped out and n done, in which the entire area would be jointing and fracturing pattern with ”some shear zones resulted in the slide. Hayden said that the area that slid look at tension cracks. and very definite faults or joints,’’ said Bruce Hayden, a 2 1/2 years ago was studied visually from the hard to believe that tension cracks or some geotechnical engineer with the Ministry of Transportation Please furn to Page 2 Q ides a boon to so I of Lions Club International were on their or 60, including the campers and others noted a better day and evening trade on way to a conference in Whistler, some in staying in the area, got together for an Monday perhaps because people WCI-C’ ill wind that doesn’t blow some- campers and mobile units from as far evening out at the camp. trickling back through the one lane me good, as the old saying goes, away as Texas. Many landed on the The Sea to Sky Hotel reported an opened at the slide. But Matheson said was the case for many business- chamber’s door, some looking for heli- increase in rooms booked as well as brisk they missed many of the natives and amish and Pemberton, follow- copters, others for accommodation. business in the pub on Sunday. This was other regulars from the Pemberton, that closed Hwy. 99 between Magee and her staff phoned around and on top of the increase already due to box- Mount Currie and D’ Arcy areas. and Squamish last week. found accommodation for many, and ing and softball tournaments going on in Magee said she was very proud of tlw amber of Commerce office on about 15 campers and mobile units were the area. way people in the conlmunity pulled d Ave. was inundated with calls. accommodated at the Easter Seal Camp. In the downtown area, Teresa Wilson of together to accommodate visitors who er manager Wendy Magee said, The chamber also gave out information Pinnacle Gifts, and Jane Moloughney of had to change plans at the last minutc. ”It t count. It must have been well in packages about the area, with local sights Mostly Books, said their businesses fared was a little crazy for a day or two, but it of 400.’’ They received countless of interest pointed out and free passes to better than usual on the Sunday of the gave a lot of people a chance to see what s also from the RCMP, who could- the Trade Fair. first major slide. we have here and how moud we can bc p their lines with people asking Dave Neal, Easter Seal Camp manager, Lynn ’Matheson, manager of Lotus of all those who did thiir best to accm mation. reported that between 20 and 30 Lions Gardens restaurant reported an unusual- modate not only the unexpected, but a time of the slide, 3,000 members found rooms in town, but a group of 50 ly slow Sunday the day of the slide, but the visitors to our community.” I Marathon Hockey fcrme Mae on PV lies just ahead Discovery Channel Katie Jones is to feature a show heading off to on trail r u n ning Minneapolis page 15 Page 30 . , ..’-. , , . , , , I , 2 MAY 28, 1996 THE SQUAMISH CHIEF Quality Repairs NEWS to all jewelley G watcbe: - Insurance Claims - R -Appraisals - Slide unde r constant monit Continued from Page 1 1 ground; however, the area was not examined by air and he cannot confirm that the slope was walked by engineers. “Just because there are cracks around doesn’t mean it’s & Goldsmith, Designer CHIEFTAIN CENTRE 892-3002 unstable,” Hayden said, adding that clues of recent movement on the slope are the key indicators of insta- bility. Slides on Hwy. 99 in the Cheakamus canyon can be the REGISTER result of various factors, including: blasting techniques NOW! when the highway was built that are outdated and left a highly fractured and randomly fractured rock face; nat- ural discontinuities in the rock; and natural weathering of the rock, including freeze-thaw action and rain and wind washing away and moving small rocks which in turn loosen bigger rocks. Where the recent slide has occurred, the remaining rock is a smooth, browny plane, indicating an old dis- continuity and weakness in the rock. As well, rain water - which gets into the cracks between rocks and exerts pressure against the rocks -was probably also a factor, Hayden said. There was intense rainfall prior to last week‘s slides and the slide of 2 1/2 years ago. And the first smaller failures in the last week’s series of slides was lower on the slope and likely undermined rock, resulting in a bigger slide. Hayden said that if support at the bottom of the slope is lost, with the right geology ”gravity will take hold and just pull the whole mountain down.” Geotechnical engineers have placed electronic moni- toring equipment on the slope above the highway and are monitoring and evaluating the slide area. Blasting is also taking place to bring down unsupported pieces EFLKY hanging onto the slope in the area of the fracture. And once the rock is cleared away, a bigger rock berm will be built to contain future rock fall that may occur. Jim Hegan, acting area manager for the Ministry of PORTS Transportation and Highways said the area that slid last 892-3366 week is an area of “slip planes” and is isolated from the -- 3781 9 SECQND AVENUE SQUAMISH rest of the slope. This is one stop sign no one will run. The road ”I think it’s not something that’s going to continue on. This one here looks somewhat isolated. All that whole area is steep and it’s rugged -there’s faults and slips all over the place - but you can’t predict these things, unfortunately.” Technically, the Ministry of Transportation and Highways can only spend money to do work within the it.“ actual highway right of way said district Highways Ministry technician Menno Martens. However, a prob- major slide because ”whenever you push mounta lem may not be able to be identified if work cannot be they have to come down,” Baumann said in refere done outside the right of way in which case a study can GET READY FOR SUMMER be extended to outside of the right of way to identify the that if a major slide were to occur where the problem or to be confident that the problem does not mountainside slid right down to the Cheakamus exist, he said. Hayden said it is difficult to identify faults that are located further into the mountainside because they are behind the rack face that can be seen. ”You can only really identify the joints you see at the surface” with trees and talus covering much of the slope. He said the question of the role of the government arises when rock fall occurs from mountainsides high above highways throughout the province. “In those instances, what is No more running the kids to the swimming pool or the lake, the mandate of the government? Are we to make the - blasting work. this West Coast Contemporary Beauty has it all.The very whole mountain stable? 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