In ASCE's Geo-Extreme conference that took place on November 7-10 2021 in Savannah, Georgia, Prof. Dimitrios Zekkos gave a keynote lecture on the Highway CA-1 failure at Rat Creek in the area of Big Sur that failed on January 28 2021.

Zekkos co-led with alumni Prof. Tim Stark and Phil Gregory the reconnaissance mission under the Auspices of the Embankments, Slopes and Dams Technical Committee of the ASCE Geo-Institute. Several Cal students and professionals participate in this effort and have compiled a Geotechnical Special Publication that will be published this year. 

The failure was found to be the result of a series of events including a wildfire, an atmospheric river, the breach of a natural dam, and a debris flow that overwhelmed the highway. 

An earlier posting about this project can be found here.