Living on the Edge: The Niscemi Landslide Crisis

The geological composition of the Niscemi area played a tragic role in the disaster’s escalation. The town sits upon layers of clay and sandstone, a combination that becomes dangerously volatile when saturated. As water seeped deep into the subterranean layers, it created a "slip plane," essentially lubricating the rock and allowing millions of tons of earth to slide downward under the force of gravity. This movement wasn't just a surface-level mudslide but a deep-seated structural failure of the terrain itself.