Mike Searle
ON THE RECORD · 6 verbatim quotes · every quote source-verified
“two different processes - tectonics with the Himalayas uplifting, and then climate change with increasingly high temperatures and melting of glaciers.”
Mike Searle · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-27
Searle said Wednesday's event likely resulted from tectonic uplift combined with climate change and melting glaciers.
“These floods happen all the time, but not at this scale.”
Mike Searle · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-27
Searle said the whole glacier collapsing in one go was very unusual, though such floods occur regularly.
“It's like putting a jack under the car, and then jacking it up.”
Mike Searle · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-27
Searle compared the slow tectonic uplift of Langtang Lirung to jacking up a car.
“As the mountain is rising, the glacier gets steeper and steeper, and it's inevitable that parts of it fall off.”
Mike Searle · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-27
Searle explained that as the rising mountain steepens the glacier, parts of it inevitably fall off.
“The sheer wave of debris suggests there could have been a landslide first; the water built up, dammed the river, and then it burst in one huge great flood,”
Mike Searle · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-27
Mike Searle described to the BBC the likely sequence from landslide to sudden flood in the disaster area.
“The whole thing is combining to form these catastrophic disasters that we are now seeing at a regular basis.”
Mike Searle · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-27
Searle said tectonics and climate change are combining to produce catastrophic disasters on a regular basis.