Freeze-thaw cycle and rockfall monitoring

Abstract

Among several weathering processes that may contribute to rock fall generation, a particular issue is related to freeze-thaw cycles. Several studies claimthatmany rock falls originate from thawing of the fractured bedrock during seasonal freezing (Matsuoka and Marton Permafrost Periglac Process 19(2):195-210, 2008; Matsuoka Cold Reg Scid Technol 17(3):253-270, 1990). Other authors have recently suggested that ice segregation is the real cause behind bedrock fracturing (Hallet Science 314(5802):1092-1093, 2006; Murton et al. Permafrost Periglac Process 12(3):255-266, 2001, Science 314(5802):1127-1129, 2006). Consequently, freeze and thaw processes will be deeply investigated in order to discover possible relationships between triggering mechanisms concerning rockfalls and monitoring datasets. Laboratory tests have been carried out to investigate the rupture process caused by the abovementioned cycles. Preliminary analyses were performed both in lab and on the field with the aim of testing the capability of different transducers to register micro seismic signals. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2013.