JACKSON, Wyo. – A sudden lurch in a creeping landslide in the northwest Wyoming resort town of Jackson split a house in two and forced workers to abandon efforts to stabilize the hillside.
A huge crack in the ground that had opened up under the house a couple weeks ago shifted several feet downhill in less than a day, breaking off a room or two and leaving a door swinging above the precipice.
Rocks and dirt tumbled down in an almost constant stream and a geologist warned much bigger chunks could fall.
The ground was moving at a rate of an inch a day. On Friday, it was a foot a day.
Landslide specialist George Machan says the ground is unlikely to liquefy and collapse suddenly like the March 22 landslide in Oso, Wash., that killed 39 people.