Culebra Cut

The Culebra Cut is a man-made valley that cuts through the Panama Canal region. It was one of the biggest roadblocks to the creation of the canal because of its landslides. The International Board of Consulting Engineers mistakenly decided that the rock would be stable at a a height of 73.5 metres with a slope of 1 in 1.5. However the rock began to collapse from that slope at a height of only 19.5 metres. The misjudgement was caused because the engineers failed to foresee that the oxidation of the underlying iron strata due to water infiltration would cause a weakening and eventually a collapse of the strata.

Related Topics:
Valley - Cut - Panama Canal - Landslide - International Board of Consulting Engineers - Metre - Oxidation - Iron - Strata - Infiltration

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The first and largest major slide occurred in 1907 at Cucaracha. The initial crack was first noted on October 4th, 1907, followed by the mass wasting of approximately 382,000 cubic metres of clay. This slide caused many people to suggest the construction of the Panama Canal would be impossible. The clay was too soft to be excavated by the steam shovels and was eventually removed by sluicing with water from a high level.

Related Topics:
1907 - October 4th - Mass wasting - Clay - Water

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After this the sediment in the upper levels of the cut was removed, resulting in less weight over the weak strata. The cut still continued to cause minor problems after this.

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