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RAPID CITY, S.D. (AP) — New devices have been inserted deep underground at the recreation area in the Wyoming portion of the Black Hills National Forest to monitor landslides.
The Rapid City Journal (http://bit.ly/2sVyLt4 ) reports that data from the devices is relayed to the smartphones of U.S. Forest Service employees, who can order an evacuation when conditions indicate the potential for a fast-moving landslide or mudslide.
Black Hills National Forest geologist Karl Emanuel says there are numerous slow-moving landslides near Cook Lake, but one in particular on the forested hillside above the lake's southwestern shore is being monitored.
He says if the 40-acre area's movement accelerates, it could partially fill the lake with millions of tons of earthen debris or release a dangerous torrent of liquefied earth known as a mudslide.
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Information from: Rapid City Journal, http://www.rapidcityjournal.com
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