Permafrost is soil that remains below 0°C for at least two consecutive years. It covers approximately 15% of the Earth’s land surface, mainly in high latitudes or in plateaus and mountains1. The underground ice acts as a cement, increasing the soil’s cohesion and mechanical strength. However, due to global warming, permafrost degradation is accelerating worldwide: up to 40% could thaw by the end of the century. By reducing soil cohesion, this thaw increases the risk of landslides: in the Mont Blanc massif, their frequency has increased tenfold since 1970. Yet these landslides (an example is given on Figure 1c) can have tragic consequences, as seen in the recent August 2026 disaster in Nepal and Tibet, which claimed over 1,400 lives with 5,000 still missing at this time. However, although these events have been well documented in the field, the physical mechanisms underlying them remain poorly understood. This iunderstanding is at the core of the proposed project.