China and Nepal Launch Joint Mission on Himalayan Geological Hazards

A joint scientific expedition team from China and Nepal departed Chengdu on October 4 to conduct an emergency field investigation into cross-border cryospheric and lithospheric disasters. Led by China University of Geosciences (Beijing) alongside the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology, the team comprises more than 50 researchers from over ten institutions. The mission aims to examine the mechanisms behind cascading ice-rock avalanches, assess secondary disaster risks, and assist post-disaster reconstruction near the strategic Gyirong border port connecting China and Nepal.

Accelerating climate change has heightened the frequency and unpredictability of coupled cryospheric and lithospheric hazards across the high-altitude Himalayas. Sudden ice-rock avalanches can rapidly morph into catastrophic debris flows, threatening downstream river basins, civilian settlements, and vital cross-border transport infrastructure. Tackling these compounding threats requires immediate, on-the-ground access to upstream hazard origin zones that often lie across national frontiers.

A joint scientific expedition team consisting of Chinese and Nepalese researchers departed Chengdu on October 4 to conduct an emergency investigation into cross-border geological disasters in Nepal, Chinese state media reported. The mission is led by the China University of Geosciences (Beijing) in collaboration with the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology, following an expedition launch ceremony held at Chengdu University of Technology on October 3. The scientific delegation is co-headed by Wang Chengshan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Bishal Upreti, an academician of the Nepal Academy of Science and Technology. More than 50 researchers representing over ten universities and research institutes are taking part in the deployment. According to Wang Chengshan, researchers intend to capitalize on the critical post-disaster window to conduct direct field surveys in disaster source zones across the border. The team plans to carry out an integrated, full-chain investigation tracing origin areas, affected sites, and downstream drainage basins. The primary scientific objectives include untangling the physical mechanisms driving chain-reaction ice-rock avalanches, evaluating the risks of secondary disasters, and providing technical guidance to support the recovery and reconstruction of Gyirong Port, a key land crossing between China and Nepal. Hou Mingcai, vice president of Chengdu University of Technology, noted that global climate warming has increased the risk of cascading disasters triggered by the coupling of the cryosphere and lithosphere. Hou emphasized that managing transboundary hazards requires cross-national scientific alignment. Chengdu University of Technology will lead efforts to develop 3D models of critical river reaches and disaster accumulation masses, while identifying cascading hazard pathways and conducting risk modeling. The expedition seeks to establish a clearer understanding of how high-altitude ice-rock collapses evolve into expansive downstream hazards, providing scientific blueprints for joint disaster prevention and control across the Tibetan Plateau and Himalayan river basins.