Workers are building a temporary path for a drill rig to access a slow-moving landslide threatening homes and businesses in a Wyoming resort town.
Jackson officials say the heavy rig will drill bore holes up to 200 feet deep along the upper crest as they look for ways to counter the slow collapse first noticed April 4.
The samples should tell them about the composition of the formation, the depth of the slide, the water levels and the location of the slide's scarp.
Jackson Fire Chief Willy Watsabaugh gave a tour of the area over the weekend.
"Simultaneous to building this road, we're placing weight down on the toe of the slide right at the intersection," Watsabaugh said. "Hopefully [that will] slow the upper part of this slide. But it stands to reason if you push down here on something that's moving, something is going to come up. So we need to place weight in both places almost simultaneously to hold it all."
The slide has destroyed a house and looms over a cluster of businesses.