Articles | Volume 9, issue 3
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-665-2021
https://doi.org/10.5194/esurf-9-665-2021
Short communication
 | 
23 Jun 2021
Short communication |  | 23 Jun 2021

Short communication: Runout of rock avalanches limited by basal friction but controlled by fragmentation

Øystein T. Haug, Matthias Rosenau, Michael Rudolf, Karen Leever, and Onno Oncken

Viewed

Total article views: 2,199 (including HTML, PDF, and XML)
HTML PDF XML Total BibTeX EndNote
1,610 520 69 2,199 61 52
  • HTML: 1,610
  • PDF: 520
  • XML: 69
  • Total: 2,199
  • BibTeX: 61
  • EndNote: 52
Views and downloads (calculated since 30 Oct 2020)
Cumulative views and downloads (calculated since 30 Oct 2020)

Viewed (geographical distribution)

Total article views: 2,199 (including HTML, PDF, and XML) Thereof 1,883 with geography defined and 316 with unknown origin.
Country # Views %
  • 1
1
 
 
 
 

Cited

Latest update: 13 Dec 2024
Download
Short summary
The runout of rock avalanches scales with their volume but also shows a considerable variation for avalanches with similar volumes. Here we show that besides size-dependent weakening mechanisms, fragmentation can account for the observed variability in runout. We use laboratory-scale experimental avalanches to simulate and analyse the role of fragmentation. We find that fragmentation consumes energy but also increases avalanche mobility. It does so systematically and predictably.