Articles | Volume 9, issue 6
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1481-2021
© 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-9-1481-2021
© Author(s) 2021. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Research article
| 
29 Nov 2021
Research article |
| 29 Nov 2021
| 29 Nov 2021
A 4000-year debris flow record based on amphibious investigations of fan delta activity in Plansee (Austria, Eastern Alps)
Chair of Landslide Research, Technical University of Munich, Arcisstraße 21, 80333 Munich, Germany
Patrick Oswald
Department of Geology, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 52f, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Jasper Moernaut
Department of Geology, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 52f, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Stefano Claudio Fabbri
Institute of Geological Sciences, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 1 + 3, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
Oeschger Centre for Climate Change Research, University of Bern, Hochschulstrasse 4, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
Christoph Mayr
Institute of Geography, Friedrich–Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg, Glückstraße 5, 91054 Erlangen, Germany
Michael Strasser
Department of Geology, University of Innsbruck, Innrain 52f, 6020 Innsbruck, Austria
Michael Krautblatter
Chair of Landslide Research, Technical University of Munich, Arcisstraße 21, 80333 Munich, Germany
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Maike Offer, Ingo Hartmeyer, Samuel Weber, Markus Keuschnig, and Michael Krautblatter
Earth Surf. Dynam., 14, 661–683, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-14-661-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-14-661-2026, 2026
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This study presents a year-round automated electrical resistivity tomography monitoring of a steep permafrost rockwall combined with borehole temperature, anchor load and piezometer observations. The joint analysis revealed seasonal phases with enhanced mechanical forcing of rockwalls related to high hydrostatic and cryostatic pressures, which are of particular interest for understanding preconditioning of rock instabilities.
Riccardo Scandroglio, Samuel Weber, Jonas K. Limbrock, and Michael Krautblatter
The Cryosphere, 20, 4787–4809, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-4787-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-20-4787-2026, 2026
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This study monitors changes in frozen rock on Mount Zugspitze over 17 years using monthly electrical resistivity measurements. By linking this data to rock temperature and applying advanced analysis, it reveals a 40 % loss of permafrost in the past decade. Thawing accelerates during summer, highlighting increasing risks of rock instability as temperatures rise.
Felix Pfluger, Samuel Weber, Natalie Barbosa, Florentin Hofmeister, Johannes Leinauer, Peter Wegmann, and Michael Krautblatter
Earth Surf. Dynam., 14, 601–634, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-14-601-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-14-601-2026, 2026
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The 2024 Platteikogel rock slope failure (Tyrol, Austria) highlights how cryospheric changes promote slope failure. We demonstrate how the system feedback of ice apron loss, permafrost warming, increase in rockfall activity, and changes in groundwater conditions accelerate mechanical destabilization, and as a consequence likely peaked in the observed failure. Today, rapidly vanishing ice aprons potentially mark source zones for future rock slides.
Floriane Guillevic, Renaldo Gastineau, Olivier Evrard, Pierre Sabatier, Amaury Bardelle, Pierre-Alexis Chaboche, Anthony Foucher, Romina Achaga, Ana Carolina Ruiz-Fernández, Joan-Albert Sanchez-Cabeza, Marcos Tassano, Mirel Cabrera, Juan A. Quicke, Guillermo Chalar, Maarten Van Daele, Valentina Moreno-Allende, Jasper Moernaut, Torsten Haberzettl, José A. Corcho Alvarado, Stefan Röllin, Hans Sahli, Judith Kobler, Gerald Dicen, and Christine Alewell
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3019, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-3019, 2026
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Long-lived isotopes (239Pu and 240Pu), primarily produced during past nuclear weapon testing (1945-1974), are present globally in trace amounts on terrestrial surfaces. By analysing South American lake sediments, we identified three testing periods using the 240Pu/239Pu ratio analysis and observed discrepancies in the distribution of 137Cs and 239+240Pu activity concentration. This will improve the temporal precision of environmental reconstructions from the last century.
Hanaya Okuda, Charlotte Pizer, Mai-Linh Doan, and Michael Strasser
Sci. Dril., 35, 119–125, https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-35-119-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-35-119-2026, 2026
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X-ray computed tomography scans have been used to look inside drill cores without destroying them. On the drilling vessel Chikyu, drill cores are routinely scanned by X-ray computed tomography, but the usage of scan data has been limited on the vessel due to large data size, unfamiliar data format, etc. In this study, we designed a workflow that enables shipboard scientists to access and utilize the X-ray computed tomography data quickly for shipboard core handling.
Huitong Yang, Katleen Wils, Ariana Molenaar, Jasper Moernaut, Lei Wu, Roberto Urrutia, Mario Pino, and Maarten Van Daele
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2493, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-2493, 2026
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Lake sediments preserve traces of past earthquakes and can help reveal how strong the shaking was. We studied Lake Riñihue, Chile, affected by earthquakes in 1960 and 2010, by modelling its basin structure and simulating its response to earthquake shaking. Lake floor shaking can be about twice as strong as empirical estimations, because sediment layers and basin geometry amplify shaking unevenly. Our results further show that different sediment imprints record different shaking components.
Philipp Daniel Gewalt, Thomas C. Wagner, and Michael Krautblatter
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1699, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1699, 2026
This preprint is open for discussion and under review for Earth Surface Dynamics (ESurf).
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Sediments move through mountain landscapes during heavy rainfall. Climate change will alter the occurrence of heavy rainfall, potentially changing sediment transport. To understand how, we investigate how mountain sediment transport responded to past climate changes. We show that sediments in small, steep catchments are moved by less extreme precipitation compared to larger, gentler catchments. This means that catchment form and area control future sediment transport in a changing climate.
Katharina Wetterauer, Sebastian Müller, Michael Krautblatter, Shiva P. Pudasaini, and Ivo Baselt
EGUsphere, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1235, https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-2026-1235, 2026
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Contrasting mobility responses of erosive debris flows are poorly understood. Here, the role of bed inertia in debris-flow evolution and runout is experimentally assessed using distinct bed-density contrasts. Erosion is higher and runout longer over low-density beds, whereas equal- and high-density beds congruently show shallower erosion and shorter runout. The results indicate that solid density alone cannot explain mobility changes and that particle shape and internal friction also contribute.
Benjamin Jacobs, Mohamed Ismael, Mostafa Ezzy, Markus Keuschnig, Alexander Mendler, Johanna Kieser, Michael Krautblatter, Christian U. Grosse, and Hany Helal
Earth Surf. Dynam., 14, 55–74, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-14-55-2026, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-14-55-2026, 2026
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The Mortuary Temple of Hatshepsut is one of Egypt's key heritage sites but is potentially threatened by rockfalls from a 100 m high limestone cliff. We transferred established monitoring techniques from alpine environments to this UNESCO World Heritage Site and evaluated their performance in a historically sensitive desert environment. Our study presents the first evidence-based event and impact analysis of rockfalls at the Temple of Hatshepsut, providing vital data for future risk assessment.
Ken Ikehara, Michael Strasser, and Lena Maeda
Proc. Int. Ocean Drill. Prog., 503, 1, https://doi.org/10.5194/piodp-503-1-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/piodp-503-1-2025, 2025
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Unexpected shallow and large slip on the plate boundary fault during the 2011 Tōhoku-oki earthquake contributed to a large tsunami. However, our knowledge on the past history of such slips is limited due to the long recurrence interval of the events. IODP3 Expedition 503 recovers the whole trench-fill sequence in the central Japan Trench to understand the nature and recurrence of hadal trench tsunamigenic slips and their earthquake-related carbon accumulation and element cycles.
Samuel Weber, Jan Beutel, Michael Dietze, Alexander Bast, Robert Kenner, Marcia Phillips, Johannes Leinauer, Simon Mühlbauer, Felix Pfluger, and Michael Krautblatter
Earth Surf. Dynam., 13, 1157–1179, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-1157-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-1157-2025, 2025
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On 13 June 2023, a freestanding rock pillar on the Matterhorn collapsed after years of weakening. Our study examines this progressive destabilization by analyzing field data and integrating lab experiments into a hydro-mechanical model. We highlight the critical role of water infiltration into frozen rock, intensified by climate warming, as a widespread driver of the rising frequency of rockfalls in high mountain permafrost regions.
Riccardo Scandroglio, Samuel Weber, Till Rehm, and Michael Krautblatter
Earth Surf. Dynam., 13, 295–314, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-295-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-295-2025, 2025
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Despite the critical role of water in alpine regions, its presence in bedrock is frequently neglected. This research examines the dynamics of water in fractures using 1 decade of measurements from a tunnel 50 m underground. We provide new insights into alpine groundwater dynamics, revealing that up to 800 L d-1 can flow in one fracture during extreme events. These quantities can saturate the fractures, enhance hydraulic conductivity, and generate pressures that destabilize slopes.
Maike Offer, Samuel Weber, Michael Krautblatter, Ingo Hartmeyer, and Markus Keuschnig
The Cryosphere, 19, 485–506, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-485-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-19-485-2025, 2025
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We present a unique long-term dataset of measurements of borehole temperature, repeated electrical resistivity tomography, and piezometric pressure to investigate the complex seasonal water flow in permafrost rockwalls. Our joint analysis shows that permafrost rocks are subjected to enhanced pressurised water flow during the thaw period, resulting in push-like warming events and long-lasting rock temperature regime changes.
Felix Pfluger, Samuel Weber, Joseph Steinhauser, Christian Zangerl, Christine Fey, Johannes Fürst, and Michael Krautblatter
Earth Surf. Dynam., 13, 41–70, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-41-2025, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-13-41-2025, 2025
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Our study explores permafrost–glacier interactions with a focus on their implications for preparing or triggering high-volume rock slope failures. Using the Bliggspitze rock slide as a case study, we demonstrate a new type of rock slope failure mechanism triggered by the uplift of the cold–warm dividing line in polythermal alpine glaciers, a widespread and currently under-explored phenomenon in alpine environments worldwide.
Johannes Leinauer, Michael Dietze, Sibylle Knapp, Riccardo Scandroglio, Maximilian Jokel, and Michael Krautblatter
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 1027–1048, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1027-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-1027-2024, 2024
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Massive rock slope failures are a significant alpine hazard and change the Earth's surface. Therefore, we must understand what controls the preparation of such events. By correlating 4 years of slope displacements with meteorological and seismic data, we found that water from rain and snowmelt is the most important driver. Our approach is applicable to similar sites and indicates where future climatic changes, e.g. in rain intensity and frequency, may alter the preparation of slope failure.
Marcel Ortler, Achim Brauer, Stefano C. Fabbri, Jean Nicolas Haas, Irka Hajdas, Kerstin Kowarik, Jochem Kueck, Hans Reschreiter, and Michael Strasser
Sci. Dril., 33, 1–19, https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-33-1-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/sd-33-1-2024, 2024
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The lake drilling project at Lake Hallstatt (Austria) successfully cored 51 m of lake sediments. This was achieved through the novel drilling platform Hipercorig. A core-log seismic correlation was created for the first time of an inner Alpine lake of the Eastern Alps. The sediments cover over 12 000 years before present with 10 (up to 5.1 m thick) instantaneous deposits. Lake Hallstatt is located within an UNESCO World Heritage area which has a rich history of human salt mining.
Natalie Barbosa, Johannes Leinauer, Juilson Jubanski, Michael Dietze, Ulrich Münzer, Florian Siegert, and Michael Krautblatter
Earth Surf. Dynam., 12, 249–269, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-249-2024, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-12-249-2024, 2024
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Massive sediment pulses in catchments are a key alpine multi-risk component. Combining high-resolution aerial imagery and seismic information, we decipher a multi-stage >130.000 m³ rockfall and subsequent sediment pulses over 4 years, reflecting sediment deposition up to 10 m, redistribution in the basin, and finally debouchure to the outlet. This study provides generic information on spatial and temporal patterns of massive sediment pulses in highly charged alpine catchments.
Sibylle Knapp, Michael Schwenk, and Michael Krautblatter
Earth Surf. Dynam., 10, 1185–1193, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-1185-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-1185-2022, 2022
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The Flims area in the Swiss Alps has fascinated the researchers with its complex geological history ever since. Especially the order of events related to the Tamins and Flims rockslides has long been debated. This paper presents novel results based on up to 160 m deep geophysical profiles, which show onlaps of the Bonaduz Formation onto the Tamins deposits (Ils Aults) and thus indicate that the Tamins rockslide occurred first. The consecutive evolution of this landscape is shown in four phases.
Patrick Oswald, Michael Strasser, Jens Skapski, and Jasper Moernaut
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 22, 2057–2079, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-2057-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-22-2057-2022, 2022
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This study provides the first regional earthquake catalogue of the eastern Alps spanning 16 000 years by using three lake paleoseismic records. Recurrence statistics reveal that earthquakes recur every 1000–2000 years in an aperiodic pattern. The magnitudes of paleo-earthquakes exceed the historically documented values. This study estimates magnitude and source areas for severe paleo-earthquakes, and their shaking effects are explored in the broader study area.
Shiva P. Pudasaini and Michael Krautblatter
Earth Surf. Dynam., 10, 165–189, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-165-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-165-2022, 2022
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We present the first physics-based general landslide velocity model incorporating internal deformation and external forces. Voellmy–inviscid Burgers' equations are specifications of the novel advective–dissipative system. Unified analytical solutions constitute a new foundation of landslide velocity, providing key information to instantly estimate impact forces and describe breaking waves and folding, revealing that landslide dynamics are architectured by advection and reigned by forcing.
Lilian Reiss, Christian Stüwe, Thomas Einwögerer, Marc Händel, Andreas Maier, Stefan Meng, Kerstin Pasda, Ulrich Simon, Bernd Zolitschka, and Christoph Mayr
E&G Quaternary Sci. J., 71, 23–43, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-71-23-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/egqsj-71-23-2022, 2022
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We aim at testing and evaluating geochemical proxies and material for radiocarbon dating for their reliability and consistency at the Palaeolithic site Kammern-Grubgraben (Lower Austria). While carbonate and organic carbon contents are interpreted in terms of palaeoclimate variability, pedogenic carbonates turned out to be of Holocene age. As a consequence, the proxy data assessed here are differentially suitable for environmental reconstructions.
Bernd Etzelmüller, Justyna Czekirda, Florence Magnin, Pierre-Allain Duvillard, Ludovic Ravanel, Emanuelle Malet, Andreas Aspaas, Lene Kristensen, Ingrid Skrede, Gudrun D. Majala, Benjamin Jacobs, Johannes Leinauer, Christian Hauck, Christin Hilbich, Martina Böhme, Reginald Hermanns, Harald Ø. Eriksen, Tom Rune Lauknes, Michael Krautblatter, and Sebastian Westermann
Earth Surf. Dynam., 10, 97–129, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-97-2022, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-10-97-2022, 2022
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This paper is a multi-authored study documenting the possible existence of permafrost in permanently monitored rockslides in Norway for the first time by combining a multitude of field data, including geophysical surveys in rock walls. The paper discusses the possible role of thermal regime and rockslide movement, and it evaluates the possible impact of atmospheric warming on rockslide dynamics in Norwegian mountains.
Philipp Mamot, Samuel Weber, Saskia Eppinger, and Michael Krautblatter
Earth Surf. Dynam., 9, 1125–1151, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1125-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-1125-2021, 2021
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The mechanical response of permafrost degradation on high-mountain rock slope stability has not been calculated in a numerical model yet. We present the first approach for a model with thermal and mechanical input data derived from laboratory and field work, and existing concepts. This is applied to a test site at the Zugspitze, Germany. A numerical sensitivity analysis provides the first critical stability thresholds related to the rock temperature, slope angle and fracture network orientation.
Doris Hermle, Markus Keuschnig, Ingo Hartmeyer, Robert Delleske, and Michael Krautblatter
Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 21, 2753–2772, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-21-2753-2021, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-21-2753-2021, 2021
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Multispectral remote sensing imagery enables landslide detection and monitoring, but its applicability to time-critical early warning is rarely studied. We present a concept to operationalise its use for landslide early warning, aiming to extend lead time. We tested PlanetScope and unmanned aerial system images on a complex mass movement and compared processing times to historic benchmarks. Acquired data are within the forecasting window, indicating the feasibility for landslide early warning.
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Short summary
This study provides amphibious investigations of debris flow fans (DFFs). We characterize active DFFs, combining laser scan and sonar surveys at Plansee. We discover a 4000-year debris flow record in sediment cores, providing evidence for a 7-fold debris flow frequency increase in the 20th and 21st centuries, coincident with 2-fold enhanced rainstorm activity in the northern European Alps. Our results indicate climate change as being the main factor controlling debris flow activity.
This study provides amphibious investigations of debris flow fans (DFFs). We characterize active...
