Articles | Volume 9, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1073-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1073-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Sediment size on talus slopes correlates with fracture spacing on bedrock cliffs: implications for predicting initial sediment size distributions on hillslopes
Joseph P. Verdian
Department of Earth and Climate Sciences, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94302, USA
Leonard S. Sklar
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR
Department of Earth and Climate Sciences, San Francisco State University, San Francisco, CA 94302, USA
Department of Geography, Planning and Environment, Concordia University, Montreal, H3G1M8, Canada
Clifford S. Riebe
Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA
Jeffrey R. Moore
Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
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EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-4352, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2025-4352, 2025
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Earth Surface Dynamics (ESurf).
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Herein, we introduce a new large outdoor river research facility to study how rivers change shape at near-real scales. Initial experiments on a straight channel resulted in little bank erosion even when the flow was perturbed by the placement of an in-channel artificial bar/pool. The results point to a narrow operational window for bar growth and bank mobility which informs on the initial conditions of future bank erosion experiments.
Guglielmo Grechi, Jeffrey R. Moore, Molly E. McCreary, Erin K. Jensen, and Salvatore Martino
Earth Surf. Dynam., 13, 81–95, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-81-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-81-2025, 2025
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We investigated the dynamic behavior of a rock arch to understand how fractures influence its stability. Using geophones, we measured its modes of vibration and used numerical modeling to replicate them. We found that higher-order resonance modes are the most sensitive to fractures, indicating their potential as early indicators of structural damage. Therefore, monitoring these higher-order modes could provide a more accurate tool to assess the structural integrity of natural rock landforms.
Matthew C. Morriss, Benjamin Lehmann, Benjamin Campforts, George Brencher, Brianna Rick, Leif S. Anderson, Alexander L. Handwerger, Irina Overeem, and Jeffrey Moore
Earth Surf. Dynam., 11, 1251–1274, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1251-2023, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-11-1251-2023, 2023
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In this paper, we investigate the 28 June 2022 collapse of the Chaos Canyon landslide in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado, USA. We find that the landslide was moving prior to its collapse and took place at peak spring snowmelt; temperature modeling indicates the potential presence of permafrost. We hypothesize that this landslide could be part of the broader landscape evolution changes to alpine terrain caused by a warming climate, leading to thawing alpine permafrost.
Riley Finnegan, Jeffrey R. Moore, and Paul R. Geimer
Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 1459–1479, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1459-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1459-2021, 2021
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We performed controlled helicopter flights near seven rock arches and towers in Utah, USA, and recorded how their natural vibrations changed as the helicopter performed different maneuvers. We found that arches and towers vibrate up to 1000 times faster during these flights compared to time periods just before the helicopter's approach. Our study provides data that can be used to predict long-term damage to culturally significant rock features from sustained helicopter flights over time.
Mauro Häusler, Paul Richmond Geimer, Riley Finnegan, Donat Fäh, and Jeffrey Ralston Moore
Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 1441–1457, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1441-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1441-2021, 2021
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Natural rock arches are valued landmarks worldwide. As ongoing erosion can lead to rockfall and collapse, it is important to monitor the structural integrity of these landforms. One suitable technique involves measurements of resonance, produced when mainly natural sources, such as wind, vibrate the spans. Here we explore the use of two advanced processing techniques to accurately measure the resonant frequencies, damping ratios, and deflection patterns of several rock arches in Utah, USA.
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Short summary
River behavior depends on the size of rocks they carry. Rocks are born on hillslopes where erosion removes fragments from solid bedrock. To understand what controls the size of rock fragments, we measured the spacing between cracks exposed in 15 bare-rock cliffs and the size of rocks on the ground below. We found that, for each site, the average rock size could be predicted from the average distance between cracks, which varied with rock type. This shows how rock type can influence rivers.
River behavior depends on the size of rocks they carry. Rocks are born on hillslopes where...