Was this nothing more than a geological tremor or was it a tangible sign of climate change? Uncertainty and concern were the order of the day in Savoie, in eastern France, following the collapse of a cliff face in the Maurienne valley late on Sunday afternoon, August 27. More than 10,000 cubic meters of rock tumbled down a slope, following torrential rain and an unprecedented heatwave. The boulders rolled down the mountainside in the commune of Saint-André, a few kilometers from Modane.
The event came as no surprise, on a slope known and monitored for its instability. In fact, the gendarmerie had closed off the departmental road a few hours before the landslide, as rock falls had been forecast. But the landslide sent shockwaves through the valley, made worse by videos taken by local residents. Images of the rockslide posted on social media show the grey avalanche come crashing down onto traffic lanes, with a car and truck narrowly escaping the rocky tidal wave on the A43 freeway below. It delivered a clear symbol of the fragility of existence when faced with the power of nature.
Three lanes of traffic run alongside each other in this narrow section of road. The flow of rocks fell as far as the railroad line, which is partially protected by a tunnel. Rails and signposts were damaged, as was the adjoining departmental road. The landslide stopped just short of the freeway. As a result, rail and road traffic were still completely cut off on Thursday. Detours were put in place, as were convoys of heavy vehicles, supervised by the gendarmerie. Rail traffic is likely to be interrupted for several weeks, as repair works need to be carried out. Geologists are currently carrying out expert appraisals, and a visit by Transport Minister Clément Beaune, which was scheduled for the afternoon of Thursday, August 31, should determine the timetable.
The minister will no doubt be looking at the study conducted by the geological and mining research bureau, which has already reviewed the Saint-André landslide zone. "The geological study indicates that nothing can prevent the cliff from eroding and rocks from falling. The conditions of the scree cone are such that no structure guaranteeing total safety can be established on it," concluded the premonitory report, dated February 1975. "The site is fragile, and the storms have had an impact. This is not the first landslide in the area. Our ancestors had planned a tunnel over a hundred years ago to allow the train to pass precisely over this section. Activity in the valley has been severely disrupted, and we are hoping that repairs will be carried out quickly," said Jean-Paul Margueron, president of the Coeur-de-Maurienne-Arvan community of communes.
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