Peat slides are a type of mass movement. They are naturally occurring landslides which occur on the blanket bogs covering much of the uplands of the UK and Ireland. During these slides large amounts of peat soil move downslope and into water courses. They can close roads and choke streams with organic sediment. This can cause significant water-quality issues, particularly impacting on fish stocks. Some peat slides are associated with human use of peatlands, where drainage or construction has modified the hydrology or loaded the slopes, leading to failure.
Peat slides often occur during intense summer rains. These dramatic events draw people’s attention and there are a number of historical accounts. In 1697 a letter from John Honohane published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society described a peat slide in Limerick, Ireland.
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