Public Lecture - A geological perspective on mountain hazards in a changing world: lessons from the 2026 Nepal–Tibet disaster

Mountain regions contain some of the most complex and rapidly changing hazard environments on Earth. This was clearly illustrated in August 2026, when a large rock–ice collapse high in the Himalaya triggered a rapidly evolving multihazard cascade across the Nepal–Tibet border. Earlier that same month, I had been in the field with Chinese and Nepali colleagues working on monitoring cross-border hazards in the region. Two fundamental questions frame research in these environments: (i) what is the baseline hazard and risk, and (ii) how are these likely to change in coming decades? Using the Nepal–Tibet disaster as a central case study, this talk will explore how geologists investigate complex mountain disasters, and what challenges remain. I will place the Nepal–Tibet disaster in the wider context of landslides, glaciers, volcanoes and glacial lakes, travelling from Alaskan megatsunamis to Antarctic volcanoes, and consider how climate change, landscape evolution and expanding infrastructure are modifying patterns of hazard and risk in mountain regions. The talk will conclude by considering what these events can teach us about anticipating future disasters, and why understanding connections between hazards is increasingly important for reducing their impacts. Speaker Bio Dr Maximillian Van Wyk de Vries is an Assistant Professor in Natural Hazards at the University of Cambridge, jointly appointed between the Departments of Geography and Earth Sciences. He leads the Cambridge Complex and Multihazard Research Group and is a Fellow of Gonville and Caius College. He was the winner of the Geological Society's 2026 Early Career Geologist Award. His research focuses on multihazard systems, particularly landslides, volcanoes, cryospheric hazards, and the interactions between them. He uses remote sensing, fieldwork and numerical modelling to understand hazard processes and cascading risk, with recent work examining high-mountain hazard cascades, glacial lake outburst floods, volcanic landslides and infrastructure disruption. Schedule This Public Lecture will take place on Tuesday 24 November 2026 This is a hybrid event, which can be attended in person at Burlington House, Piccadilly, London, or online via Zoom. 17:30–18:00: Guests arrive for the Public Lecture. Refreshments served in the Lower Library. 18:00–19:00: Talk takes place (including Q&A) 19:00-20:00: Drinks reception in Lower Library 20:00: Event end