International Summer School on Rockslides and Related Phenomena in the Kokomeren River basin, Kyrgyzstan

Abstract

ICL Annual Summer School on Rockslides and Related Phenomena in Kyrgyzstan started in 2006, being supported by the IPL ProjectsM111,M126 and C106-2. This training course aims to familiarize students and young landslide researchers with various types of large-scale bedrock landslides (rockslides), with geological factors favourable for their origin and with their primary and secondary effects such as river damming and subsequent outburst floods. The Kokomeren River basin is characterised by a unique variability of rockslides that have occurred in different rock types, in confined and unconfined conditions and have formed both high dams and long-runout rock avalanches. Some of the dams remain intact while others have been deeply eroded, exposing their interiors. Particular emphasis is given on those peculiarities of rockslides' morphology and internal structure that can clarify their motion mechanism(s) and explain the extreme mobility of rock avalanches.