What caused the Vajont Dam landslide wave?

On October 9, 1963, a massive landslide from Monte Toc plunged into the reservoir behind the Vajont Dam in Italy, triggering a gigantic megatsunami wave. The wave overtopped the dam and caused catastrophic flooding in the Piave Valley below. Authorities had previously concealed geological instability reports and ignored warnings regarding the mountain's safety.

What we know

• A landslide on Monte Toc caused a megatsunami that overtopped the Vajont Dam on October 9, 1963. [1, 2]
• 50,000,000 cubic meters of water overtopped the dam in a wave reaching 250 meters high. [2]
• The disaster occurred after reports indicating that Monte Toc was geologically unstable were concealed. [2]
• ENEL and the Italian government dismissed warnings, danger signals, and adverse appraisals regarding the site. [2]

Where to go next

• what followedWhat happened to the villages below the dam?
• whoWho was the engineer behind the Vajont Dam?
• whereWhere is the Vajont Dam located?
• compared withHow does the Vajont Dam compare to other arch dams?
• whenWhen was the Vajont Dam built?
• an unexpected connectionHow does Italian political history intersect with the region?Aldo Moro served as Prime Minister during the decade of the Vajont disaster and led major Italian political transformations of that era.

Sources

• [1]Vajont Dam (Wikidata Q22335) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Vajont Dam · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Aldo Moro · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Longarone · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Vajont · CC BY-SA 4.0