Articles | Volume 11, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-779-2023
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-779-2023
Research article
 | 
14 Aug 2023
Research article |  | 14 Aug 2023

Shape still matters: rockfall interactions with trees and deadwood in a mountain forest uncover a new facet of rock shape dependency

Adrian Ringenbach, Peter Bebi, Perry Bartelt, Andreas Rigling, Marc Christen, Yves Bühler, Andreas Stoffel, and Andrin Caviezel

Related authors

Modeling deadwood for rockfall mitigation assessments in windthrow areas
Adrian Ringenbach, Peter Bebi, Perry Bartelt, Andreas Rigling, Marc Christen, Yves Bühler, Andreas Stoffel, and Andrin Caviezel
Earth Surf. Dynam., 10, 1303–1319, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-1303-2022,https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-1303-2022, 2022
Short summary
Full-scale experiments to examine the role of deadwood in rockfall dynamics in forests
Adrian Ringenbach, Elia Stihl, Yves Bühler, Peter Bebi, Perry Bartelt, Andreas Rigling, Marc Christen, Guang Lu, Andreas Stoffel, Martin Kistler, Sandro Degonda, Kevin Simmler, Daniel Mader, and Andrin Caviezel
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 2433–2443, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-2433-2022,https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-2433-2022, 2022
Short summary

Related subject area

Physical: Geomorphology (including all aspects of fluvial, coastal, aeolian, hillslope and glacial geomorphology)
Spatiotemporal denudation rates of the Swabian Alb escarpment (southwestern Germany) dominated by anthropogenic impact, lithology, and base-level lowering
Mirjam Schaller, Daniel Peifer, Alexander B. Neely, Thomas Bernard, Christoph Glotzbach, Alexander R. Beer, and Todd A. Ehlers
Earth Surf. Dynam., 13, 571–591, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-571-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-571-2025, 2025
Short summary
Short communication: Learning how landscapes evolve with neural operators
Gareth G. Roberts
Earth Surf. Dynam., 13, 563–570, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-563-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-563-2025, 2025
Short summary
Sediment aggradation rates in Himalayan rivers revealed through the InSAR differential residual topographic phase
Jingqiu Huang and Hugh D. Sinclair
Earth Surf. Dynam., 13, 531–547, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-531-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-531-2025, 2025
Short summary
The glacial paleolandscapes of Southern Africa: the legacy of the Late Paleozoic Ice Age
Pierre Dietrich, François Guillocheau, Guilhem A. Douillet, Neil P. Griffis, Guillaume Baby, Daniel P. Le Héron, Laurie Barrier, Maximilien Mathian, Isabel P. Montañez, Cécile Robin, Thomas Gyomlai, Christoph Kettler, and Axel Hofmann
Earth Surf. Dynam., 13, 495–529, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-495-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-495-2025, 2025
Short summary
Multiple equilibrium configurations in river-dominated deltas
Lorenzo Durante, Nicoletta Tambroni, and Michele Bolla Pittaluga
Earth Surf. Dynam., 13, 455–471, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-455-2025,https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-455-2025, 2025
Short summary

Cited articles

Abegg, M., Allgaier Leuch, B., Düggelin, C., and Brändli, U.-B.: Die Waldbiodiversität entwickelt sich weiterhin positiv, Wald und Holz, 102, 27–31, 2021. a
Ammann, M.: Schutzwirkung abgestorbener Bäume gegen Naturgefahren, Eidg. Forschungsanstalt für Wald Schnee und Landschaft WSL, Birmensdorf, ISBN 3-905621-34-7, 2006. a, b
Borella, J. W., Quigley, M., and Vick, L.: Anthropocene rockfalls travel farther than prehistoric predecessors, Sci. Adv., 2, e1600969, https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.1600969, 2016. a
Bourrier, F., Dorren, L. K. A., and Berger, F.: Full scale field tests on rockfall impacting trees felled transverse to the slope, in: Conference proceedings/12th Congress Interpraevent, edited by: Koboltschnig, G. and Huebl, J., 643–650, International Research Society INTERPRAEVENT, Klagenfurt, http://www.interpraevent.at/palm-cms/upload_files/Publikationen/Tagungsbeitraege/2012_2_643.pdf (last access: 4 August 2023), 2012. a, b
Bourrier, F., Toe, D., Garcia, B., Baroth, J., and Lambert, S.: Experimental investigations on complex block propagation for the assessment of propagation models quality, Landslides, 18, 639–654, https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-020-01469-5, 2021. a
Download
Short summary
Swiss researchers carried out repeated rockfall experiments with rocks up to human sizes in a steep mountain forest. This study focuses mainly on the effects of the rock shape and lying deadwood. In forested areas, cubic-shaped rocks showed a longer mean runout distance than platy-shaped rocks. Deadwood especially reduced the runouts of these cubic rocks. The findings enrich standard practices in modern rockfall hazard zoning assessments and strongly urge the incorporation of rock shape effects.
Share