Long-runout landslides
Long-runout landslides: the effect of lithology on comminution, microstructures, morphology and runout
Failure scarp of the Tschirgant rock avalanche, Tyrol, Austria
Funding organization: DFG DU 1294/2-1
Term: 15.02.2013 bis 14.02.2016
Abstract
Large rock avalanches, by definition, translate volumes >106m3 of debris many kilometres at exceptional rates of motion (10’s-100’s km/hr). During the past few centuries alone, such events have occurred with surprising frequency even in the European Alps. Yet to-date, the mechanisms of rock avalanche emplacement remain relatively poorly known, especially how intact rock masses are reduced to silt- and clay-size in less than a few minutes of transportation. The proposed project addresses this issue by constraining consistencies in spatial rock avalanche deposit fabric in order to better understand the mechanics of motion and excess runout particularly in limestone, the most common rock avalanche material in the Alps. The proposed methods cover all aspects of rock avalanche sedimentology, including detailed morphometric and (micro-) structural mapping, detailed sampling for particle size analyses, and an integrated emplacement model for numerical runout simulation.
Publications
Korup, O, Schneider D, Huggel C, Dufresne A (2013): Long-runout landslides. In: Shroder, J.F. (ed.): Treatise on Geomorphology 7. Academic Press, San Diego, 183-199. http://store.elsevier.com/Treatise-on-Geomorphology/isbn-9780123747396/.
Dufresne A (2012): Granular flow experiments on the interaction with stationary runout path material and comparison to rock avalanche events. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 37: 1527-1541 http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/esp.3296/abstract.
Dufresne A, Salinas S & Siebe C (2010): Substrate deformation features associated with the Jocotitlán edifice collapse and debris avalanche deposit Central México. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jvolgeores.2010.02.019.
Dufresne A & Davies T (2009): Longitudinal ridges in mass movement deposits. Geomorphology 105 (3-4): 171-181. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.geomorph.2008.09.009.
Dufresne A, Davies T & McSaveney M (2008): Influence of runout path material on the emplacement of the Round Top rock avalanche New Zealand. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms 35 (2): 190-201. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/esp.1900/abstract.