Where pipelines pass over unstable slopes any movements may result in lateral forces to act on the pipe which may cause it to bend and possibly rupture. To monitor the strains in the pipe that may develop under these conditions vibrating wire strain gages can be attached various points along the pipe, at 120 degree spacings, such that the magnitude and direction of the resultant tensile and compressive strains can be determined. The strain gages can be connected to multiplexers (hard wired or wireless) which in turn are connected to data acquisition systems for near real time monitoring and for data visualization over the internet.