Landslide Farm, Russia

farm in landslide zone - the only question is: which were before?!



if the farm was already there before the landslide, it could have been exciting to see the flood of earth and stone stop only few meters from the fence...(:

check further landslide scars along the valley to W
Landslide Farm.kmz (707 B)
GMaps Link 

My guess: Landslide first

The road that leads to the farm seems like it wasn't deviated in the past, they chose to take that path around the landslide. If the landslide was not there in the beginning, the road would have been just straight with no need to go around

well said ndrqu !
also we are getting closer with this:

The 2003 Altai earthquake, or 2003 Chuya earthquake, occurred on September 27 at 18:33:26 local time with a moment magnitude of 7.3 and a maximum Mercalli intensity of X (Extreme). ... Landslides affected the Kosh-Agachsky and Ust’-Ulagan Districts.

well, I am no geology expert, but would say, these slides are looking older than 16 years, so probably this?:

..... It was the strongest earthquake in this region since an estimated magnitude 7.7 earthquake on December 20, 1761. ...

wikipedia

the 258 years sounds a bit too much though...

if jeanthie returns once, might help to decide!

There are a number of papers describing landslides caused by earthquakes in the souther Altai region (actually dating earthquakes by studying the landslides).

• www.researchgate.net/publication/250148462_A_strong_earthquake_of_2003_in_Gornyi_Altai
  
• www.researchgate.net/publication/238017027_Major_earthquakes_of_the_southern_Gornyi_Altai_in_the_Holocene
• content.sciendo.com/view/journals/geochr/45/1/article-p20.xml
• eost.unistra.fr/fileadmin/upload/EOST/Jeromevdw/publications/Dorbathetal_BSSA_2008.pdf

I am unable to date that landslide from aerial photography but assuming the farm was built after the landslide, the farm looks much much older than the last earthquake (2003). It's abandoned and destroyed (roof collapsed). For sure it has atleast 50 or 60 years.

Also the landslide is perfectly covered by vegetation, as much as the plains around it. It could well be formed 200 years ago in my opinion.

I am leaning to accept, landslide happened at 1761 quake! (:

thanks for good statements and great contribution to this thread ndrqu !

however You might have missed something about the buildings and other built structures of the scene I think: 
roofless, rectangular enclosures are pens and the smaller (10X10-15 meters) buildings have grey, tin-sheet roofings in pretty good condition, at least as they were by latest imagery date; 8/27/2004.
probably some winter-stand, being empty at august, waiting for the herd to return from the surrounding alpine grasslands as autumn comes.

also noticed, it is situated only 45 kms from first town Tebeler, so even not a remote location.

The landslide shows that the grasses haven't fully covered it over. 
Even if the material in the landslide is not very fertile, the net effect of erosion over 300 years  would have washed enough silt in to make it fertile.

If it was 300 years ago, it would surely be just as green as anywhere , and the material would be settled, the driveway/road may have gone right over the top

Seems it is unsettled and missing vegetation, that is, fresh .. a few years. 

How about find a photo of landslides in the area that are only 10 years old ? 
and the ones that are 300 years old  ?