Introduction

Abstract

In the wide field of scientific problems exists a marked difference between mainly academic questions and those bearing practical importance. It may be worthwhile, perhaps, to spend considerable work and money to find out that Mount Everest is two metres lower than assumed previously (and, of course, the value of precise measurements for the observation of tectonic processes is incontestable). But nobody except the involved scientists and their sponsors would consider it a catastrophe if a more accurate measurement would add another couple of centimetres to the actually accepted figure. On the other hand, the question of whether an expected rockslide will reach a certain village or not, involves, in the best case, emergency measures (like evacuation) and the loss of substantial material value, in the worst case the risk of inhabitants being killed.

Couldn’t we, to acquire better understanding of big rockslide motions, dig deeper by using a bit more physical reasoning and possibly also calculation?

Albert Heim (original in German)