As many as 300 people were killed in landslides triggered by higher than normal rainfall in south-western Ethiopia in July 2024. More than 15,000 were also forced to leave their homes. Another less deadly landslide that occurred two weeks later killed a dozen. Getnet Mewa, a geophysicist who studies landslides and associated landmass movements, explains where and how landslides occur in Ethiopia.
Where do landslides occur in Ethiopia?
Ethiopia is situated in a region dissected by the East African Rift System, which is one of the Earth’s geologically active rift systems. A rift valley is a lowland region that forms where Earth’s tectonic plates – gigantic pieces of the Earth’s outer shell – move apart or rift. The still active rift system is bordered by uplifted plateaus and dotted with volcanic mountains and lakes.
