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The Polk County Rock Slide }0(.HMiGj
CNN recently aired a tape provided by Tennessee news station WDEF showing a rock slide in progress. This rock slide occurred in Polk County across U.S. Highway 64 on November 10, 2009. The video shows the sudden movement of bedrock and trees right as slope failure occurs. Noticeable in the foreground is the wet road, which is evidence of a recent rainfall and possibly the cause of the rock slide. The WDEF video crew that captured this rock slide was situated along this portion of the highway to film a story covering a previous rock slide along this highway, which is visible on the background farther up the road. D$W09ng-
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Landslides can occur anywhere in the world where topography and changes in elevation exist, especially where these changes are more dramatic, such as in mountainous areas and areas with cliffs. In the United States, areas susceptible to landslides are the entire West Coast (known for its scenic ocean-side cliffs), portions of the Rocky Mountains residing in Colorado and the majority of the Appalachian Mountain region. Polk County is situated along the southern extent of the Appalachian Mountains, and therefore in the middle of one of the most landslide susceptible regions in the country. The ancient age of the Appalachian mountains, combined with millions of years of erosion and structural deformation, have caused the entire mountain range to become unstable and prone to landslides. r cx'`CIJ
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