When glaciers and ice sheets melt, they can destabilize slopes and reactivate faults, which in turn can trigger landslides and reshape the surface of Earth over long periods of time. Researchers can monitor some locations in real time to determine which combinations of factors lead to landslides, but understanding what triggered landslides thousands of years ago is more difficult. When glaciers and ice sheets melt, they can destabilize slopes and reactivate faults, which in turn can trigger landslides and reshape the surface of Earth over long periods of time. Researchers can monitor some locations in real time to determine which combinations of factors lead to landslides, but understanding what triggered landslides thousands of years ago is more difficult. Earth Sciences Phys.org – latest science and technology news stories