complete dynamic modeling calibration for the thurwieser rock avalanche italian central alps abstract few rock avalanches have been witnessed and no exact real time description is available the 2 5 m m 3 punta thurwieser rock avalanche september 2004 italian central alps is a unique event for which many quantitative observations have been gathered this is the first case ever of a natural rock avalanche being recorded on video and for which an almost exact value of the total time duration from initial detachment to final deposition is available the landslide travelled over 2 9 km from its source partially in a glacial environment the initial failure and the time for the complete evacuation of the source area were studied and assessed by a series of photos the mean front velocities along the path have been estimated from the video the final geometry and the characteristics of the deposit have been obtained by gps measurements aerial photos field surveys and laboratory tests a quasi 3d continuum dynamic analysis of the landslide motion has been performed assuming both a voellmy and a frictional rheology in the model dan 3d for the first time the landslide front velocities have been used for back analyses and calibration of the rheological parameters together with the final shape and thickness of the deposit and its developing extension the dynamic flow resistance parameters initially calibrated with dan were adopted and validated in dan 3d showing good consistency they are consistent with the existing database for calibrated landslides of similar type and scale flow velocities on the path segment underlain by glacial deposits up to 55 65 m s 1 are more accurately predicted by adopting a frictional rheology up to 50 55 m s 1 with zero pore pressure and a 26 friction angle than by a voellmy rheology up to 40 45 m s 1 both observations and modelling show that glacial ice plays a substantial role in increasing the rock avalanche mobility

the 2002 denali fault and 2001 kunlun fault earthquakes complex rupture processes of two large strike slip events we studied the source processes of two large continental earthquakes the 3 november 2002 denali fault earthquake and the 14 november 2001 kunlun fault earthquake associated with strike slip faulting along ancient sutures we inverted teleseismic p waveforms using a pulse stripping method for multiple time windows with different focal mechanisms and derived composite source models according to our results the 2002 denali fault earthquake began with initial thrusting m w 7 3 along a 40 km long segment of the north northwest dipping susitna glacier fault and later ruptured a 300 km long segment along the denali and totschunda faults with a right lateral strike slip mechanism m w 7 7 in contrast the 2001 kunlun fault earthquake nucleated near an extensional step over with a subevent pair consisting of 30 km long strike slip m w 6 9 event and 40 km long normal m w 6 8 faulting event and later ruptured a 350 km long segment along the kunlun fault with a left lateral strike slip mechanism m w 7 7 both earthquakes propagated primarily unilaterally to the east and released most of their energy along slip patches asperities far from the hypocenter locations we find that both the denali fault and kunlun fault earthquakes had high average rupture velocities of 3 2 km sec and 3 4 km sec respectively we also compared the source properties of these two earthquakes with other strike slip earthquakes for scaling purposes large strike slip earthquakes were classified as interplate oceanic intraplate or continental intraplate events by using this classification the denali fault and kunlun fault earthquakes have an interplate signature that suggests overall weak faulting

longitudinal ridges in mass movement deposits prominent longitudinal features are often reported on the surfaces of mass movement deposits however the genesis and implications of these have not hitherto been considered and herein we present preliminary observations of their occurrence both in the field and in the laboratory elongated ridges are often oriented sub parallel to the flow direction and aligned radially from the source due to debris spreading they are particularly prominent in large 106m3 rock avalanches emplaced onto deformable substrates and are also found in the proximal reaches of volcanic debris avalanches flowbands which are longer and thinner expressions of longitudinal ridges are continuous along the entire flow length and are observed in rock avalanches emplaced onto glaciers in snow and some ice avalanches in pyroclastic flows and some block and ash flows in ejecta sheets in extraterrestrial landslides and in some volcanic debris avalanches other volcanic debris avalanches and the distal areas of rock avalanches often display hummocks that are aligned radially from the source we propose that these aligned hummocks are remnants of longitudinal ridges the formation of elongate ridges and their expressions as flowbands aligned hummocks or distal lobes and digits in qualitatively similar fashion in both laboratory and field environments suggests they represent an intrinsic tendency of granular flows in a wide range of situations

a model for the analysis of rapid landslide motion across three dimensional terrain a new numerical model for the dynamic analysis of rapid flow slides debris flows and avalanches has been developed the model is an extension of an earlier algorithm and is implemented using a nu

a comparison of pyroclastic flow and debris avalanche mobility many pyroclastic flows have runout distances longer than expected from basic frictional arguments in these cases the ratio of the height descended h and the runout l are as small as 0 2 a feature which has been attributed to fluidization however significant fluidization by gases is now considered unlikely during emplacement of debris avalanches where h l and volume are inversely related we determine whether pyroclastic flows are more mobile than debris avalanches of the same volume and if different emplacement mechanisms are needed to describe their runout h l and volume data were compiled for 34 nonvolcanic and 40 volcanic debris avalanche deposits as well as 15 pyroclastic flow deposits systematic differences in the volume versus h l plots were explored by statistical analysis results show an inverse relationship between h l and volume for both nonvolcanic and volcanic debris avalanche deposits as expected and also for pyroclastic flow deposits regression lines for plots of pyroclastic flow and volcanic debris avalanche data are statistically indistinguishable and the non volcanic debris avalanche line is parallel to the other two we argue that the nonvolcanic and volcanic debris avalanche differences are due to material properties rather than emplacement mechanisms therefore since pyroclastic flows and volcanic debris avalanches have indistinguishable h l versus volume it is unlikely that pyroclastic flows have a significantly different primary emplacement mechanism based on the data in hand we conclude that it is unnecessary to invoke gas fluidization to explain the mobility of the types of pyroclastic flows examined or the excess runout of large volume debris avalanches

combination of srtm3 and repeat aster data for deriving alpine glacier flow velocities in the bhutan himalaya abstract the present study evaluates the fusion of dems from the advanced spaceborne thermal emission and reflection radiometer aster instrument and the shuttle radar topography mission srtm the study area consists of high elevation glaciers draining through the rough topography of the bhutan himalayas it turns out that the aster derived and srtm3 dems have similar accuracy over the study area but the srtm3 dem contains less gross errors however for rough topography large sections of the srtm3 dem contain no data we therefore compile a combined srtm3 aster dem from this final composite master dem we produce repeat aster orthoimages from which we evaluate the dem quality and derive glacier surface velocities through image matching the glacier tongues north of the himalayan main ridge which enter the tibet plateau show maximum surface velocities in the order of 100 200 m year 1 in contrast the ice within the glacier tongues south of the main ridge flows with a few tens of meters per year these findings have a number of implications among others for glacier dynamics glacier response to climate change glacier lake development or glacial erosion the study indicates that space based remote sensing can provide new insights into the magnitude of selected surface processes and feedback mechanisms that govern mountain geodynamics

erosional effects on runout of fast landslides debris flows and avalanches a numerical investigation the mechanism of mass changes in debris transportation process is an important topic in the study of fast landslides debris flows and avalanches basal erosion is recognised as a dynamic interaction between the original moving material and the entrained basal topsoil shearing along their non slip contact surface in this paper we propose a new concept of yield rate and establish the erosional relationship to bridge these two systems a pertinent mathematical model and numerical implementation are formulated parametric numerical experiments are conducted to compare the erosional effects the simulated results are consistent with available experimental and field observations the influence of the involvement of the erosive material on runout behaviour and the global mobility of the moving material are elucidated the proposed method is then employed to analyse a recent debris flow event in northern italy the excellent match to the field data gives it a plausible potential application to the analysis of this type of gravity driven flow with significant erosion defined in a dimensionless form the proposed yield rate can be estimated conveniently in general geotechnical practices

predictability of long runout landslide motion implications from granular flow mechanics quality of landslide motion prediction is directly linked to the understanding of the basic flow mechanisms although it is known that landslides are granular mass flows and granular flow mechanics is an established area of research hypotheses on landslide motion are still based on simple geometrical relations and heuristic assumptions new insights into the development of flow properties of high speed high concentration granular flows are given by results of discrete particle simulations rapid granular flows are self organizing dynamic systems that are forced to develop a plastic body rheology this behaviour must be described by a coefficient of internal friction cm that refers to the center of mass of a flow coefficients of rapid granular flows of inelastic and rough particles which are typical for common rock materials do not vary significantly around cm 0 45 that is definitively smaller than the friction coefficient of soil creep 0 6 the motion of the center of mass is superimposed by the spreading of the granular mass that is controlled by the same plastic body rheology this combined motion is a scale invariant self similar process that depends only on the drop height of a landslide and its volume this allows specification of implications that must be given special attention in the development of future models for landslide prediction

numerical simulation of debris flows a key requirement in the assessment of landslide risk in such densely populated urban areas as hong kong consists of the prediction of potential runout distance or the extent of the subsequent debris flow this paper presents a three dimensional dynamic model of unsteady gravity driven debris flow the lagrangian galerkin finite element method is used to determine the nodal velocity and depth of soil column elements within the sliding mass with the momentum and mass conservation mathematically closed within the soil column elements the numerical solution also features a lumped mass matrix and a volume weighted procedure the method of least squares approximation plays a smoothing role which enhances stability and efficiency of the numerical solution scheme the nodal elevation during sliding is obtained via a dynamic bilinear interpolation of the elevation function for the base of the sliding mass furthermore the accuracy robustness and generality of this method are validated by experimental results

precursory seismicity associated with frequent large ice avalanches on iliamna volcano alaska usa since 1994 at least six major volume 10 6 m 3 ice and rock avalanches have occurred on iliamna volcano alaska usa each of the avalanches was preceded by up to 2 hours of seismicity believed to represent the initial stages of failure each seismic sequence begins with a series of repeating earthquakes thought to represent slip on an ice rock interface or between layers of ice this stage is followed by a prolonged period of continuous ground shaking that reflects constant slip accommodated by deformation at the glacier base finally the glacier fails in a large avalanche some of the events appear to have entrained large amounts of rock while others comprise mostly snow and ice several avalanches initiated from the same source region suggesting that this part of the volcano is particularly susceptible to failure possibly due to the presence of nearby fumaroles although thermal conditions at the time of failure are not well constrained it is likely that geothermal energy causes melting at the glacier base promoting slip and culminating in failure the frequent nature and predictable failure sequence of iliamna avalanches makes the volcano an excellent laboratory for the study of ice avalanches the prolonged nature of the seismic signal suggests that warning may one day be given for similar events occurring in populated regions

structural constraints on deep seated slope deformation kinematics abstract a significant sackung type deep seated slope gravitational deformation dsgsd was recognised for the first time by the authors in the middle part of valfurva east of bormio rhaetian alps italy the reconstruction of its kinematics age and state of activity is presented through a detailed description of its morphological geomechanical and structural features an integrated multi disciplinary approach was performed to achieve a clear comprehension of the phenomenon field surveys and aero photo interpretation were carried out in order to clarify the structural geological and geomorphological setting in which the dsgsd developed a kinematic conceptual model of the slope deformation was developed through the analysis of morpho structures of their significance and relationships with lithological markers and quaternary deposits after a geomechanical characterisation of the rock mass involved in the slope deformation numerical modelling was performed to verify the hypotheses made on kinematics and driving factors of the phenomenon the sackung affects pre permian metapelites metabasites and marbles belonging to the upper austroalpine basement of the campo nappe as well as late pleistocene and holocene glacial and rock glacier deposits the deformation started after the late wurmian age 15 000 11 000 years b p and continued until few centuries ago not excluding a present day low rate activity deformation consists in a large oblique sagging along a deep confined sliding surface associated with gravitational reactivation of pre existing late alpine and recent tectonic brittle structures leading to the formation of n s and wnw ese trending gravitational morpho structures the evolution of the wnw ese trending system resulting in asymmetric trenches led to progressive failure of the lower part of the slope during the last 10 000 years as testified by large paleo landslide accumulations and it is still in progress numerical modelling indicates post glacial unloading as the main triggering factor of the slope deformation the importance of this deep seated slope deformation is enhanced by the occurrence of the 30 mm 3 active ruinon landslide in the lower part of the slope such landslide is subjected to rapid evolution and threatens the valley floor establishing an important risk factor connected to human lives and socio economic activities

magnitude scaling relations from p waves in southern california 1 we derive empirical magnitude scaling relationships for southern california using a dataset of 59 past earthquakes recorded in southern california by the southern california seismic network scsn between 1992 and 2003 the events range in magnitude from 3 0 to 7 3 we use the maximum predominant period pmax and the peak displacement amplitude pd measured from the first 4 seconds of p wave arrivals to determine period magnitude and amplitude magnitude scaling relationships respectively our calibration study shows that the scaling relationships are similar to those derived for northern california the average error in magnitude estimates is 0 2 magnitude units for events with magnitudes smaller than 4 5 m 6 5

emplacement mechanisms of contrasting debris avalanches at volcan mombacho nicaragua provided by structural and facies analysis we study the lithology structure and emplacement of two debris avalanche deposits dads with contrasting origins and materials from the quaternary holocene mombacho volcano nicaragua a clear comparison is possible because both dads were emplaced onto similar nearly flat 3 slope topography with no apparent barrier to transport this lack of confinement allows us to study in nature the perfect case scenario of a freely spreading avalanche in addition there is good evidence that no substratum was incorporated in the events during flow so facies changes are related only to internal dynamics mombacho shows evidence of at least three large flank collapses producing the two well preserved debris avalanches of this study one on its northern flank las isletas directed northeast and the other on its southern flank el crater directed south other south eastern features indicate that the debris avalanche corresponding to the third collapse la danta occurred before las isletas and el crater events the materials involved in each event were similar except in their alteration state and in the amount of substrata initially included in the collapse while el crater avalanche shows no signs of substratum involvement and has characteristics of a hydrothermal weakening related collapse the las isletas avalanche involves significant substratum and was generated by gravity spreading related failure the latter avalanche may have interacted with lake nicaragua during transport in which case its run out could have been modified through a detailed morphological and structural description of the mombacho avalanches we provide two contrasting examples of non eruptive volcanic flank collapse we show that remarkably even with two distinct collapse mechanisms the debris avalanches developed the same gross stratigraphy of a coarse layer above a fine layer this fine layer provided a low friction basal slide layer whereas dad layering and the run outs are roughly similar the distribution of structures is different and related to lithology las isletas has clear proximal faults replaced distally by inter hummock depressions where basal unit zones are exhumed whereas el crater has faults throughout but the basal layer is hidden in the distal zone hummocky forms depend on material type with steep hummocks being formed of coherent lava units and low hummocks by matrix rich units in both avalanches extensional structures predominate the upper layers exclusively underwent longitudinal and lateral extension this is consistent with evidence of only small amounts of block to block interactions during bulk horizontal spreading the base of the moving mass accommodated transport by large amounts of simple shear we suggest that contractional structures and inter block collisions seen in many other avalanches are artifacts related to topographic confinement

glacial valley cross profile development the influence of in situ rock stress and rock mass strength with examples from the southern alps new zealand abstract the evolution of the glacial valley cross profile form is commonly attributed primarily to the glaciological variables that control the erosion of the channel however studies in the new zealand southern alps suggest that the rock mass strength rms of the eroded rock mass is a major control on slope stability and hence on the final form of the trough rms of the slope rock will alter with time and erosional excavation and oversteepening of the valley slopes the in situ rock stress field induced by 1 the extreme topography in the axial ranges of the new zealand southern alps and 2 tectonically by collision of the australian and pacific crustal plates may play a role in valley slope development by controlling the location of rock failure and reducing rms this provides weakened rock that may provide sites for selective glacial erosion of the rock mass hence valley form evolution models should also take into account the rms and the in situ stress field acting in the eroded rock mass this study has implications for the development and modification of alpine glacial troughs in similar tectonic settings elsewhere

evaluation of aster and srtm dem data for lahar modeling a case study on lahars from popocatepetl volcano mexico abstract lahars are among the most serious and far reaching volcanic hazards in regions with potential interactions of lahars with populated areas and human structures the assessment of the related hazards is crucial for undertaking appropriate mitigating actions and reduce the associated risks modeling of lahars has become an important tool in such assessments in particular where the geologic record of past events is insufficient mass flow modeling strongly relies on digital terrain data availability of digital elevation models dems however is often limited and thus an obstacle to lahar modeling remote sensing technology has now opened new perspectives in generating dems in this study we evaluate the feasibility of dems derived from the advanced spaceborne thermal emission and reflection radiometer aster and the shuttle radar topography mission srtm for lahar modeling on popocatepetl volcano mexico two gis based models are used for lahar modeling laharz and a flow routing based debris flow model modified single flow direction model msf both predicting areas potentially affected by lahars results of the lahar modeling show that both the aster and srtm dems are basically suitable for use with laharz and msf flow path prediction is found to be more reliable with srtm data though with a coarser spatial resolution errors of the aster dem affecting the prediction of flow paths due to the sensor geometry are associated with deeply incised gorges with north facing slopes laharz is more sensitive to errors of the aster dem than the msf model lahar modeling with the aster dem results in a more finely spaced predicted inundation area but does not add any significant information in comparison with the srtm dem lahars at popocatepetl are modeled with volumes of 1 10 5 to 8 10 6 m 3 based on ice melt scenarios of the glaciers on top of the volcano and data on recent and historical lahar events as regards recently observed lahars the travel distance of lahars of corresponding volume modeled with laharz falls short by 2 to 4 km an important finding is that the travel distance of potential lahar events modeled with laharz may differ by about 2 km when using srtm or aster data because of varying lateral flow volume distribution as a consequence verification and sensitivity analysis of the dem is fundamental to deriving hazard maps from predicted modeled inundation areas because of the global coverage of this type of remote sensing data the conclusion that both srtm and aster derived dems are feasible for lahar modeling opens a wide field of application in volcanic hazards studies

monitoring and modeling ice rock avalanches from ice capped volcanoes a case study of frequent large avalanches on iliamna volcano alaska abstract iliamna is an andesitic stratovolcano of the aleutian arc with regular gas and steam emissions and mantled by several large glaciers iliamna volcano exhibits an unusual combination of frequent and large ice rock avalanches in the order of 1 10 6 m 3 to 3 10 7 m 3 with recent return periods of 2 4 years we have reconstructed an avalanche event record for the past 45 years that indicates iliamna avalanches occur at higher frequency at a given magnitude than other mass failures in volcanic and alpine environments iliamna volcano is thus an ideal site to study such mass failures and its relation to volcanic activity in this study we present different methods that fit into a concept of 1 long term monitoring 2 early warning and 3 event documentation and analysis of ice rock avalanches on ice capped active volcanoes long term monitoring methods include seismic signal analysis and space and airborne observations landsat and aster satellite data was used to study the extent of hydrothermally altered rocks and surface thermal anomalies at the summit region of iliamna subpixel heat source calculation for the summit regions where avalanches initiate yielded temperatures of 307 to 613 k assuming heat source areas of 1000 to 25 m 2 respectively indicating strong convective heat flux processes such heat flow causes ice melting conditions and is thus likely to reduce the strength at the base of the glacier we furthermore demonstrate typical seismic records of iliamna avalanches with rarely observed precursory signals up to two hours prior to failure and show how such signals could be used for a multi stage avalanche warning system in the future for event analysis and documentation space and airborne observations and seismic records in combination with srtm and aster derived terrain data allowed us to reconstruct avalanche dynamics and to identify remarkably similar failure and propagation mechanisms of iliamna avalanches for the past 45 years simple avalanche flow modeling was able to reasonably replicate iliamna avalanches and can thus be applied for hazard assessments hazards at iliamna volcano are low due to its remote location however we emphasize the transfer potential of the methods presented here to other ice capped volcanoes with much higher hazards such as those in the cascades or the andes

a model for the runout analysis of rapid flow slides debris flows and avalanches runout analyses are used for risk assessment and design of remedial measures against rapid landslides such as debris flows debris avalanches rockslide avalanches large scale liquefaction failure

valley shape influence on deformation mechanisms of rock slopes stress distribution in mountainous areas is influenced by local morphology valley morphology and the relationship between main and tributary valleys strongly depend on geological characteristics and evolution they may control the evolution of slope instabilities especially when interacting with pervasive structural features we performed parametric three dimensional 3d numerical modelling of simplified slope geometries with variable slope angle from 218 to 358 length combining different orientations for different slope sectors and changing attitude of pervasive planes of anisotropy foliation schistosity bedding data used in the 3d models are the initial slope geometry rock mass properties and internal anisotropy we assumed mohr coulomb behaviour with the presence of ubiquitous joints and different piezometric levels the model results show that plastic deformation initiates near the highest ridge just after deglaciation commences a shear zone develops and propagates toward the toe of the slope and its shape is strongly controlled by slope geometry anisotropy and in situ stresses the thickness of the failing mass for model slope reliefs up to 3200 m increases from 50 mto some hundreds of metres during glacier retreat and it depends on geometry of slopes anisotropy and in situ stresses results are compared to examples of deep seated slope deformations from the alps which helps in the interpretation of such phenomena and in the understanding of their influence on valley evolution

insights into rock ice avalanche dynamics by combined analysis of seismic recordings and a numerical avalanche model 1 rock ice avalanches larger than 1 106 m3 are high magnitude low frequency events that may occur in all ice covered high mountain areas around the world and can cause extensive damage if they reach populated regions the temporal and spatial evolution of the seismic signature from two events was analyzed and recordings at selected stations were compared to numerical model results of avalanche propagation the first event is a rock ice avalanche from iliamna volcano in alaska which serves as a natural laboratory with simple geometric conditions the second one originated on aoraki mt cook new zealand southern alps and is characterized by a much more complex topography a dynamic numerical model was used to calculate total avalanche momentum total kinetic energy and total frictional work rate among other parameters these three parameters correlate with characteristics of the seismic signature such as duration and signal envelopes while other parameters such as flow depths flow path and deposition geometry are well in agreement with observations the total frictional work rate shows the best correlation with the absolute seismic amplitude suggesting that it may be used as an independent model evaluation criterion and in certain cases as model calibration parameter the good fit is likely because the total frictional work rate represents the avalanche s energy loss rate part of which is captured by the seismometer deviations between corresponding calculated and measured parameters result from site and path effects which affect the recorded seismic signal or indicate deficiencies of the numerical model the seismic recordings contain additional information about when an avalanche reaches changes in topography along the runout path and enable more accurate velocity calculations the new concept of direct comparison of seismic and avalanche modeling data helps to constrain the numerical model input parameters and to improve the understanding of rock ice avalanche dynamics

modelling rock avalanche propagation onto glaciers abstract ice rock avalanches which occur in glacial environments are controlled by the presence of snow and ice in the moving material and by possible propagation onto icy basal surfaces all these factors contribute to enhancing the flow mobility mixing with ice and snow hampers block collisions and favours dense flow behaviour ice melting reduces granular friction by saturation of the basal material and fluidization effects propagating onto glaciers offers a smooth surface with low shear resistance this work is a review of the best documented ice rock avalanches and focuses on evaluating their mobility for hazard analysis purposes by providing a set of calibrated cases the rock avalanches have volumes ranging from 5 10 6 m 3 to 25 10 6 m 3 we replicate these events by using sph and fem numerical methods assuming frictional and voellmy basal rheologies the voellmy rheology best performs at replicating the landslide propagation among the back analyzed cases the frictional coefficient ranges in the interval 0 03 0 1 the turbulent coefficient within 1000 m s 2 2000 m s 2 the bulk basal friction angle ranges within 2 75 and 14 with values inversely related to event volumes forward selection of the basal friction angle based on event volume allows the replication of the mount cook ice rock avalanche predicting a maximum runout which is less than 4 larger than observed in the perspective of forward modelling large uncertainty is related to the reconstruction of the post event topographies particularly for the sliding surface mixing with ice and snow reduces basal friction proportionally to ice and snow content pure ice has a basal friction which is reduced by about 75 than basal friction of pure rock melting of ice during rock avalanche propagation has been evaluated for the sherman event the frictional heat generated at the glacier surface results in the melting of 86 2 5 9 kg m 2 which could have contributed to a minimum 20 35 10 reduction of the material friction angle through the sole pore pressure generation within a 40 and 20 cm thick shear layer respectively the largest uncertainty is related to the area of contact between rock and ice

interactions between rock avalanches and glaciers in the mont blanc massif during the late holocene rock avalanches are common in the mont blanc massif which is bordered by valleys with large resident and tourist populations and important highways this paper combines historical data with detailed geomorphological mapping stratigraphic observation and absolute and relative dating to interpret several deposits resulting from rock avalanching onto glaciers nineteen rock falls and rock avalanches are described ranging in volume from 10 000 m3 to 10 106 m3 they occurred between 2500 bp and ad 2007 at six sites the events at three sites miage and drus glaciers and tour des grandes jorasses are characterised by short travel distances those at brenva triolet and frebouge glaciers exhibit excessive travel distances interactions between rock avalanches and glaciers are of four types i rock avalanche triggering where glacial and paraglacial controls include debuttressing of rockwalls due to glacier thinning and retreat oversteepening of rock slopes by glacial erosion and effects of glaciers on permafrost ii rock avalanche mobility in which mobility and travel distance are modified by channelling of rock avalanche debris by moraines and valleys incorporation of ice and snow often 50 for large events and irregularities on the glacier surface iii deposit sedimentology where melting of incorporated ice transforms the final deposit by reducing its thickness typically to 5 m and debris of variable thicknesses is juxtaposed in a hummocky deposit with chaotic piles of angular rock debris and iv glacier dynamics where insulating debris deposited upon a glacier produces a debris covered glacier of different dynamics and high elevated scars can favour the formation of small glaciers

nasa eos terra aster volcanic topographic mapping and capability up to date accurate topographic data are a crucial resource for volcanic research and risk mitigation efforts in particular for modeling volcanic flow processes at a detailed spatial resolution in this paper we examine the utility of the advanced spaceborne thermal emission and reflection radiometer aster instrument currently operating on the nasa terra satellite which provides near infrared vnir stereo imaging from which topography can be derived we wrote software to generate digital elevation models dems from the aster level 1a product which employs an automated stereo matching technique to calculate the parallax offsets between the images acquired by the nadir and aft looking sensors comparison of aster dems with dems derived from other sources digitized 1 50 k topographic maps and aerial interferometric radar at ruapehu volcano reveal an rms error of about 10 m for the aster dem in the absence of significant atmospheric water vapor a qualitative assessment of surface features showed that the aster dem is superior to the interpolated 1 50 k map product but falls short of the detail provided by aerial interferometric radar especially in terms of stream channel preservation a second aster dem was generated for taranaki volcano where previously only 1 50 k topographic map data were available although the 2000 space shuttle radar topography mission srtm will largely remedy the previous global paucity of adequate topographic data at volcanoes such as taranaki we anticipate the problem that at active volcanoes the topography may change significantly following activity rendering the srtm data inaccurate with the high temporal coverage of the dataset aster not only provides a means to update significant 10 m topographic measurements at active volcanoes via a time series of dems but also provides a simultaneous means to map surface cover and localized land use via the near infrared sensors thus we demonstrate the potential for up to date volcanic economic risk assessment using geographic information systems gis analysis

the sedimentology and geomorphology of rock avalanche deposits on glaciers this article describes and compares the deposits of four large landslides on two glaciers in alaska using field mapping and remote sensing digital image analysis is used to compare the sedimentological characteristics of nearly 200 000 individual surface blocks deposited by three landslides at black rapids glacier in 2002 the debris sheets of one of the three landslides on black rapids glacier and a landslide emplaced on sherman glacier in 1964 are also investigated the three landslides on black rapids glacier have undergone little post depositional modification by glacier flow whereas the sherman glacier landslide has been transported supraglacially up to ca 1k m over the past 46 years the three debris sheets on black rapids glacier have coarse blocky rims at their distal edges and all four debris sheets have longitudinal flowbands characterized by differences in texture and produced by shearing within the moving debris elongated blocks are parallel to flow except at the perimeter of the debris sheets where they are aligned more perpendicular to flow blocks on the sherman glacier debris sheet have been reoriented by glacier flow the matrix shows no systematic differences with depth or distance from the source however it appears to become coarser over a time scale of decades due to weathering

large rock avalanches triggered by the m 7 9 denali fault alaska earthquake of 3 november 2002 the moment magnitude m 7 9 denali fault alaska earthquake of 3 november 2002 triggered thousands of landslides primarily rock falls and rock slides that ranged in volume from rock falls of a few cubic meters to rock avalanches having volumes as great as 20 10 6 m 3 the pattern of landsliding was unusual the number and concentration of triggered slides was much less than expected for an earthquake of this magnitude and the landslides were concentrated in a narrow zone about 30 km wide that straddled the fault rupture zone over its entire 300 km length despite the overall sparse landslide concentration the earthquake triggered several large rock avalanches that clustered along the western third of the rupture zone where acceleration levels and ground shaking frequencies are thought to have been the highest inferences about near field strong shaking characteristics drawn from interpretation of the landslide distribution are strikingly consistent with results of recent inversion modeling that indicate that high frequency energy generation was greatest in the western part of the fault rupture zone and decreased markedly to the east d 2005 elsevier b v all rights reserved

models of hawaiian volcano growth and plume structure implications of results from the hawaii scientific drilling project the shapes of typical hawaiian volcanoes are simply parameterized and a relationship is derived for the dependence of lava accumulation rates on volcano volume and volumetric growth rate the dependence of lava accumulation rate on time is derived by estimating the eruption rate of a volcano as it traverses the hawaiian plume with the eruption rate determined from a specified radial dependence of magma generation in the plume and assuming that a volcano captures melt from a circular area centered on the volcano summit the timescale of volcano growth is t 2 r plate where r is the radius of the melting zone of the circular plume and plate is the velocity of the pacific plate the growth progress of a volcano can be described by a dimensionless time t t plate 2r where t 0 is chosen to be the start of volcano growth and t 1 approximates the end of shield growth using a melt generation rate for the whole plume of 0 2 km 3 yr a plume diameter of 50 km and a plate velocity of 10 cm yr we calculate that the lifetime of a typical volcano is 1000 kyr for a volcano that traverses the axis of the plume the standard dimensions are a volume of 57 000 km 3 a summit thickness of 18 km a summit elevation of 3 6 km and a basal radius of 60 km the volcano first breaches the sea surface at t 0 22 when it has attained only 5 of its eventual volume 80 of the volume accumulates between t 0 3 and t 0 7 typical lava accumulation rates start out over 50 m kyr in the earliest stages of growth from the seafloor and level out at 35 m kyr from t 0 05 until t 0 4 from t 0 4 to t 0 9 the submarine lava accumulation rates decrease almost linearly from 35 m kyr to 0 subaerial accumulation rates are about 30 lower the lava accumulation rate is a good indicator of volcano age a volcano that passes over the plume at a distance 0 4r off to the side of the plume axis is predicted to have a volume of about 60 of the standard volcano a lifetime about 8 shorter and lava accumulation rates about 15 20 smaller the depth age data for mauna kea lavas cored by the hawaii scientific drilling project are a good fit to the model parameters used given that mauna kea appears to have crossed the plume about 15 20 km off axis the lifetime of mauna kea is estimated to be 920 kyr mauna loa is predicted to be at a stage corresponding to t 0 8 kilauea is at t 0 6 and loihi is at t 0 16 the model also allows the subsurface structure of the volcanoes the interfaces between lavas from different volcanoes to be modeled radial geochemical structure in the plume may be blurred in the lavas because the volcanoes capture magma from a sizeable cross sectional area of the plume this inference is qualitatively born out by available isotopic data the model predicts that new hawaiian volcanoes are typically initiated on the seafloor near the base of the next older volcano but generally off the older volcano s flank

pseudotachylyte frictionite at the base of the arequipa volcanic landslide deposit peru implications for emplacement mechanisms abstract the arequipa volcanic landslide deposit peru displays a pseudotachylyte or frictionite at its basal contact with an older ignimbrite the pseudotachylyte consists of a dark 1 cm thick vitreous layer that shows striations on its upper surface it contains small mineral clasts from both the landslide rocks and the underlying ignimbrite embedded in an optically isotropic matrix tem observations revealed a clast melt suspension with a lower black obsidian like vein made of chemically heterogeneous glass the pseudotachylyte is interpreted as the result of partial melting due to frictional heating during landslide emplacement this is the third pseudotachylyte reported at the base of a landslide deposit and the first in a volcanic environment calculations show that basal melting only accounts for a small proportion of the total energy released during landslide emplacement indicating that landslide transport was dominated by dissipative stresses affecting the whole landslide body and not conce

catastrophic detachment and high velocity long runout flow of kolka glacier caucasus mountains russia in 2002 abstract in september 2002 a catastrophic geomorphic event occurred in the caucasus mountains southern russia in which almost the entire mass of kolka glacier detached from its bed accelerated to a very high velocity max 65 80 m s and traveled a total distance of 19 km downstream as a glacier debris flow based on the interpretation of satellite imagery obtained only 8 5 h before the event occurred the analysis of seismograms from nearby seismic stations and subsequent detailed field observations and measurements we suggest that this remarkable event was not a response to impulse loading from a rock avalanche in the mountainside above the glacier or to glacier surging but due entirely to the static and delayed catastrophic response of the kolka glacier to ice and debris loading over a period of months prior to the september 20 detachment we reconstruct the glacier debris flow using field observations in conjunction with the interpretation of seismographs from nearby seismic stations and successfully simulate the behaviour runout velocity and deposition of the post detachment glacier debris flow using a three dimensional analytical model our demonstration of a standing start hypothesis in the 2002 kolka glacier detachment has substantial implications for glacier hazard assessment and risk management strategies in valleys downstream from unstable debris covered glaciers in the mountain regions of the world

unraveling driving factors for large rock ice avalanche mobility large rock ice avalanches have attracted attention from scientists for decades and some of these events have caused high numbers of fatalities a relation between rock slope instabilities in cold high mountain areas and climate change is currently becoming more evident and questions about possible consequences and hazard scenarios in densely populated high mountain regions leading beyond historical precedence are rising to improve hazard assessment of potential rock ice avalanches their mobility is a critical factor this contribution is an attempt to unravel driving factors for the mobility of large rock ice avalanches by synthesizing results from physical laboratory experiments and empirical data from 64 rock ice avalanches with volumes 1x106 m3 from glacierized high mountain regions around the world the influence of avalanche volume water and ice content low friction surfaces and topography on the apparent coefficient of friction as a measure of mobility is assessed in laboratory experiments granular ice in the moving mass was found to reduce bulk friction up to 20 while water led to a reduction around 50 for completely saturated material compared with dry flows evidence for the effects of water as a key driving factor to enhance mobility was also found in the empirical data while the influence of the ice content could not be confirmed to be of much relevance in nature besides liquefaction it was confirmed that mobility increases with volumes and that frictional surface characteristics such as flow paths over glaciers are also dominant variables determining mass movement mobility effects of the topography along the flow path as well as channeling are assumed to be other critical factors the results provide an empirical basis to roughly account for different path and flow characteristics of large rock ice avalanches and to find appropriate ranges for friction parameters for scenario modeling and hazard assessments copyright 2011 john wiley sons ltd

a model for frictional melt production beneath large rock avalanches 1 two puzzling traits of giant rock avalanches sturzstroms are the decrease of the effective friction coefficient as a function of the volume volume effect and the remarkable preservation of large geological structures during the flow demonstrating that the upper cap of a sturzstrom travels coherently on top of a basal shear layer hence frictional heat is rapidly produced along the shear layer which could explain the formation of sheets of molten rock inside certain landslide deposits it has been conjectured that a molten layer could potentially self lubricate the base of the sturzstrom to theoretically investigate this scenario we consider the model of a rock slab sliding on an inclined surface we present a set of coupled differential equations to calculate the frictional heat produced the properties of the molten layer thickness temperature and velocity distribution and the motion of the slab our simulations illustrate the onset of self lubrication and show the volume effect when the melt viscosity is low corresponding to a simulated mafic composition of the rock for a felsic composition and to some extent also for intermediate melts we find that the melting introduces more resistance at the beginning of the melting process in close similarity with frictional melting in tectonic faults however in contrast to faults the rock avalanche is capable of overcoming the initial resistance in at least two situations if the rock is rigid and the landslide is sufficiently thick or else if the material of the landslide is disintegrated the simulations also show that although self lubrication is a viable possibility to explain the runout of sturzstroms there are rather stringent conditions for the formation of a molten layer of good lubricating qualities more generally we suggest that the properties of the coulomb frictional law at the interfaces may change radically during sliding and that the assumption of constant friction does not represent a good model in landslide calculations

catastrophic landslide deposits in the karakoram himalaya in july 1986 three catastrophic landslides deposited about 20 x 106 cubic meters of debris on bualtar glacier in the karakoram himalaya a sudden acceleration and superficial breakup of the glacier provided an opportunity to examine the fresh deposits in depth beneath a surface layer of large boulders finer materials mainly sand and silt made up half of the total volume the fine materials were formed during the rock avalanche from mostly intact massive rock of the source zone velocity estimates suggest that this disaggregation occurred in less than 2 minutes coarse materials remained in bands of uniform lithology but the fine materials had diffused throughout the landslides a small amount of carbonate appears to have been calcined by frictional heating presumably at the base of the initial sliding masses these observations are relevant to understanding the mechanisms of catastrophic landslides other nearby rock avalanche deposits indicate that landslides are an important geomorphic process in the area and that they pose a continuing risk to human activity

rock avalanches on a glacier and morainic complex in haut val ferret mont blanc massif italy abstract deposits in upper val ferret mont blanc massif italy have been attributed to glacier advances and to a rock avalanche of 12 september ad 1717 we review evidence for the timing and mode of emplacement of the deposit and present a new geomorphic interpretation and relative and absolute dating to show that the ad 1717 deposit is less extensive than previously thought the landslide was deflected along one side of the valley floor preserving older slope and morainic sediments along the other side an earlier rock avalanche onto the triolet glacier occurred before ad 1000 the deposits of these landslides partly cover older moraine several kilometres downstream from the present glacier front and have affected the glacier regimen and construction of its moraines this study highlights the geomorphic impact of rock avalanches in glacierized high mountains