Known Landslides: Newfoundland and Labrador Heritage

Known Landslides
Beaches, Humber Arm 19 Apr 1892	Deaths:1 Injuries:0	A landslide completely demolished and buried one house, killing a child. The rest of the family barely escaped with their lives (Location and date estimated).
Benoits Cove and Cook's Brook, Between 28 Nov 1906	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	Exact location and time uncertain. Caused by recent rainstorms. Large trees uprooted, telegraph poles hurled down and tons of clay and boulders swept down steep hillside. Roadway piled high with debris.
Betts Cove 15 May 1883	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	A landslide off Betts Cove Hill fell on the mine roof which caved in. The landslide also took with it some buildings and machinery. No injuries resulted, as a boy noticed the slumping hillside and shouted to the men underground.
Bishops Falls 16 Apr 1986	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	Between 30 and 50 cubic metres of rock and mud slid down the hillside and engulfed the major part of Mr. Dalton's side yard, to a depth or 30 cm. Occasional boulders had tumbled down the hillside before.
Cape Broyle, 1/4 mile west of 29 Dec 1923	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	Landslide on Trepassey railway near Cape Broyle. Engine buried in avalanche of snow and gravel, box car swept down embankment. Crew and 30 passengers not severely injured.
Corner Brook 22 Apr 1906	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	Small landslide beneath Roman Catholic cemetery in Corner Brook, adjacent to railway track. Remains of Patrick Carroll of Summerside, who had died 30 years before, were exposed.
Corner Brook, Crow Gulch 05 May 1930	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	Small landslide at Crow Gulch interfered with last coach (train) of the day.
Corner Brook, Crow Gulch 06 Aug 1935	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	Railway swept away by tons of debris from steep slope above. Large boulder of several tons carried several lengths of track over bank. Boulder of about 15 tons landed on track and had to be blasted.
Corner Brook, Humbermouth 20 Apr 1940	Deaths:1 Injuries:0	Ditcher was clearing previous slide that occurred on April 20, when a second slide occurred and carried the vehicle over an 8 m embankment onto highroad below. Stanley Penney was badly burned from broken steam pipes and suffered a broken leg and broken hip. He died in hospital.
Corner Brook 06 Nov 1945	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	Old Humber Road, opposite the store of S. Dominic and Sons. During a period of heavy rain that lasted three days and dumped 11 cm of rain.
Corner Brook, Buckles Valley Road 15 Nov 1954	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	Bob French and Harry Phillips escaped being buried alive when a landslide occurred at the rear of the Thorne Building. The men were investigating a water leakage at the rear of the building, when several tons of gravel broke away from the bank and cascaded down Buckles Valley Road, sweeping away a power line, 6 m of boardwalk, an Avalon Telephone shack and the verandah of a nearby home.
Corner Brook, Bell's Hill 16 Oct 1958	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	Gravel from the excavation site for a new high school was dumped on the edge of a hill causing a landslide, due to the additional weight. There were no injuries but the slide created an unstable slope and presented city engineers with the problem of preventing further collapse of the hill.
Corner Brook, Brake's Cove 08 Nov 1958	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	Heavy rains caused an estimated 10,000 tons of sand and gravel to collapse from the high cliffs in a sandpit. There were no injuries but equipment and buildings were partially buried.
Corner Brook, east of Brake's Cove near Humbermouth 10 Apr 1962	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	Tons of earth, boulders and uprooted trees slid down a slope of a mountain near the CNR rail line, causing it to be closed until workmen could clean up the debris.
Corner Brook, Brake's Cove 01 May 1967	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	The home of Margaret Ryan, a 62-year-old widow, was washed from its foundation and smashed against a hillside. The damage was caused by melting snow during a rapid thaw.
Corner Brook 20 May 1974	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	Landslide into Glynmill Pond ripped up a sewer line from Cobb Lane. Part of Cobb Lane slid into the pond. Road in same area experienced another failure on Sept. 28, 1975.
Corner Brook 26 Dec 1977	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	A landslide almost claimed the life of Owen Legge on Riverside Drive, who was trying to divert a flow of mud and water away from his home with a back hoe. A landslide occurred, burying the machine. Legge saw the debris coming and jumped from the machine, but before he got clear one boot got stuck in the mud and was left behind. During the same event a landslide blocked the Southern Shore highway at Mount Moriah. Heavy rainfall with warm temperatures and snow melt on December 25 and 26 led to the flooding. Damage estimated to be in the area of $50,000-$100,000. Hardest hit areas were Massey Drive, Riverside Drive, and Old Humber Road.
Corner Brook, Quarry Hill, Curling Road 02 Dec 1982	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	Instability on Ring Road project on Quarry Hill. Slope movements above a section of about 110 m of the roadway, and a failure tension crack developed 20 m above the road platform. Typical irregular block-strewn appearance of an old landslide area. Deep crevices appeared in the surface. Many of the blocks are perched on others in relatively unstable positions.
Corner Brook, Riverside Drive 19 Apr 1994	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	Slide area about 100 m long by 100 m wide. Covered roadway and Riverside Drive were not reopened until mid-summer. The slides were caused by inadequate drainage from the newly constructed Trans-Canada Highway nearby. A major drainage ditch had been cut by the new highway and following a period of intense snowmelt, water flowed through the subsurface to the adjacent slopes above Riverside Drive, triggering the landslides.
Cox's Cove 19 Feb 1996	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	A landslide brought tons of gravel and rock across the main highway leading into the community. The debris was 1-2 m high and 10 m long and came within 4 m of the Park family home. The road was blocked for a short period of time and took 12 hours to be completely cleaned up. The landslide was triggered by heavy rain and snow melt.
Curling, Petries Crossing 22 May 1950	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	An A-frame storehouse was carried on the crest of the landslide about 31 m downslope and ended up a broken wreck. One boat half-buried and another ended up in the water, no damage to boats. Road closed for three days.
Duncans Rock, 3 miles east of Corner Brook 27 Oct 1914	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	Hundreds of tons of earth and stones came down mountain carrying several lengths of track and telegraph lines and poles away. Rail service affected.
Englee 15 Oct 1993	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	Rocks collided with the home of Ralph Talbot and did extensive damage. Further rockslides appeared likely so the house was relocated. A gabion wall was constructed to protect adjacent road. (A gabion is a cylindrical wicker or metal basket for filling with earth or stones used in engineering).
Gambo 23 Oct 1953	Deaths:1 Injuries:1	Carl Goulding, aged 14, was buried by slide while he and two friends were playing in sandpit. One was buried up to neck, but survived.
Gaultois 15 Sep 1992	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	Landslide occurred on a bedrock-dominated slope after a period of heavy rain. Damaged walkway, water main, fuel lines. Repairs included clearing slope of debris and construction of retaining wall on slope.
Gillams ?? May 1979	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	Elie Park of Farm Road was shaken out of bed at 4 a.m. when a landslide came tumbling down a hill near his property. Woodshed was belted by rolling rocks tearing, away the front of the building; some rocks also crashed through the roof.
Grand Lake Date: ??	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	Slope failure scars observed by Rod Klassen on the east side of Grand Lake. Date of failure unknown, observation recorded June 1995.
Gros Morne Park, Deer Arm 10 May 1980	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	Small landslide occurred 1 km east of Middle Arm Brook where 3,000 tons of rock and mud had to be removed.
Gros Morne Park, Gull Rocks 03 Jun 1980	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	A landslide blocked the road at Gull Rocks for 9 hours. 10,000 tons of mud and rock slide across the road and took five weeks to clean up. A landslide occurred in same area around 1941-42. Large number of rock bolts was placed in various outcrops along roadway to help stabilize dangerous outcrops.
Harbour Breton 01 Aug 1973	Deaths:4 Injuries:?	A debris torrent occurred in a gully above the community at 3 a.m. following period of heavy rain. Four houses were swept into the harbour and destroyed. Pauline, Edward, Timothy and Julia Hickey, aged 8 ,7, 5, and 4, all from the same family, were killed. There were 16 survivors. The families who lost their houses during the landslide, and 11 other families whose homes were thought to be at risk from further landslides were resettled. The area in which the tragedy occurred had been the site of a previous landslide, in about 1953.
Irishtown, Bay of Islands 17 Feb 1969	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	A triangular portion of land along a 35 m frontage dropped more than one foot in an early morning slide. Damage was limited to one skidway and the land itself, an abandoned home was twisted on its frame and one side of its foundation fell in. The cause of the slide is unknown, however an early morning tremor was felt by local residents.
Irishtown, Bay of Islands 04 Apr 1969	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	The homes of Cecil Young and his brother Calis Young were moved about 4 m by a landslide. No injuries were reported. The landslide was blamed on poor highway drainage during new road construction the previous year.
Irishtown, Bay of Islands 28 Sep 1975	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	Bank under the corner of Frank Hunt's house gave way causing part of the floor to drop and the walls to twist as the house moved along the bank approximately 0.8 m. Family of eight was home at the time but no one was hurt.
John's Beach 15 Apr 1993	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	Area of rotational slumping. Previous slides experienced in this area.
Little Grand Lake 08 Jun 1995	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	Series of landslides coupled with washouts blocked woods road leading to Little Grand Lake. Event followed heavy rainfall.
Little Port, Bay of Islands 07 Jul 1994	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	Landslide occurred during heavy rainstorm. About 60-70 cm of material removed from slope over 100 m long by 15-25 m wide section. Landslide blocked road and took 5 hours to clear.
Mount Moriah 07 Jan 1909	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	Considerable quantities of clay and rocks undermined by storm fell on road beneath. Fixed quickly, no delay to train.
Mount Moriah 12 Jun 1915	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	Several huge boulders rolled down mountainside and crippled railway. Rail-line was quickly cleared.
Mount Moriah, Bay of Islands 29 Jan 1901	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	Followed downpour. Worst landslide in the history of the Newfoundland railway. Several thousands of tons of rock, clay and trees covered 50 m or track 4 m deep. Started 70 m above track and stopped within 100 m of homes at Pleasant Cove. Railway blocked for 3 days. During same storm, trestle bridge over Exploits River was destroyed.
Outer Cove, Avalon Peninsula 26 Jun 1930	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	Steps and winches behind stages at Outer Cove buried by tons of earth. Associated with massive electrical storm that killed 3 in Lumsden, and 1 in St. John's.
Pierres Brook near Bay Bulls 31 Oct 1949	Deaths:2 Injuries:0	Two brothers killed in slide. Aloysius and Clarence Gatheral of Bay Bulls were taking gravel from an embankment at Pierres Brook when it collapsed burying both men.
Placentia area 03 Oct 1923	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	Storm caused landslides along Placentia branch railway line. On Burin Peninsula, flakes and stages destroyed during the same storm.
Portugal Cove 27 Jun 1930	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	Following thunderstorm. Several large boulders hit by lightening were split and rolled down hill. Tons of earth and dirt came to within a metre of some dwellings. Several boulders weighed at least 2 tons.
Pynn's Brook, 25 miles east of Corner Brook 02 May 1970	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	Landslide blocked rail line at Pynn's Brook. Washout was quite extensive.
Romaines, Port au Port 25 May 1994	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	A period of heavy rain led to saturation of cliff material resulting in slope failure. Remnants of the torrent are seen by a large fan of debris on the beach. Trees were visible up to 100 m offshore.
St. John's, Southside Road 13 Oct 1934	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	During a heavy rainstorm, slide dumped tons of earth on railway. Similar slides occurred on Petty Harbour Road. Houses near junction with Blackhead Road threatened by slide.
St. John's, Southside Road 23 Feb 1936	Deaths:1 Injuries:1	Four-year-old daughter of Michael Byrne was smothered by landslide. Seven-year-old boy was injured. Both children were forced through kitchen floor.
St. John's, Southside Road 15 Sep 1948	Deaths:1 Injuries:1	Followed heavy rainfall. Debris swept through walls of house. Maureen Winsor, aged 3, was killed and another child injured. During same storm tons of gravel washed down Patrick Street. Quidi Vidi Lake rose 2 m.
St. John's, Mill Bridge near rail yard 01 Oct 1953	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	Outside rail yard in St. John's. Several tons of debris tumbled down the slope onto the track.
Shellbird Island, Humber River 01 Dec 1930	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	Landslide blocked railway at Shellbird Island.
Shellbird Island, Humber River 19 May 1985	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	Landslide closed highway for several hours. It covered 10 m of an embankment on top of which was the CN railway line. Build up of water behind the railway tracks and seepage into the bank was probably the cause of the failure.
St. Fintans 11 Mar 1949	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	Small landslide east of St. Fintans after heavy rainfall. Section of rail line destroyed (21 m wide by 31 m deep).
Table Mountain 09 Mar 1950	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	Rock and snow crashed over telegraph lines on Table Mountain. Services were disrupted between Corner Brook, Gander and St. John's. Severed all communications between province and mainland. Repairs took 7 days.
Voy's Beach, Humber Arm 29 Nov 1935	Deaths:0 Injuries:0	Landslide swept away 3 houses but everyone got out in time. Happened during a rainstorm that lasted 40 hours. Houses belonged to James Park Jr., James Park Sr. and Strickland family. During same storm, a store at Middle Arm (location unclear) was also swept away by landslide.

Reproduced by permission of M. Batterson, D.G.E. Liverman, J. Ryan and D. Taylor, The Assessment of Geological Hazards and Disasters in Newfoundland: An Update. (St. John's: Government of Newfoundland and Labrador, Department of Mines and Energy, Geological Survey Branch, © 1999). Map adapted by Don Walsh and Tina Riche, 2000.