A glacier collapse in Nepal triggered a high-speed mudslide that traveled nearly 20 kilometers to Gyirong Port in southwest China's Xizang Autonomous Region in just seven minutes, according to Guo Zhaocheng, a senior engineer at the China Aero Geophysical Survey and Remote Sensing Center for Natural Resources.

The source area was around 5,140 meters above sea level, while Gyirong Port sits at about 1,800 meters – a drop of nearly 3,300 meters over a distance of just 20 kilometers. The dramatic descent converted enormous potential energy into powerful kinetic energy, driving the flow downhill at an estimated average speed of around 50 meters per second.