Landslide In Arizona Brings Saguaros Tumbling Down

A large number of saguaro cactuses were brought down in a recent landslide in Southern Arizona, reported Tucson.com. The landslide happened on the beautiful Golden Gate Mountain in Tucson Mountain Park.

In addition to those saguaros that were brought down by the landslide, many more were destroyed by the rocks and dirt that came tumbling down the mountain.

Chuck Huckleberry, Pima County Administrator, said:

"A number of saguaro cactus were knocked down in the path of the slide. But many more were destroyed by the rocks traversing downhill from the slide area destroying anything in its path."

According to Karen Simms, division manager of Pima County Natural Resources, the landslide happened in an area of the park that is away from trails and public areas, however she says that people should avoid the area anyways.

Simms said, "The main thing that we would want to encourage people is to not climb up there and try to look at the are where the fall happened."

The cause of the landslide is still unknown. Simms said, "Certainly, that kind of all-day-long rain we had wouldn't typically be the kind of thing that would cause something like this."

Golden Gate Mountain sits southeast of Old Tucson Studios and stands at more than 4,200 feet tall.