Avalanche and rock fall are slope movement processes by which masses are detached from jointed rock outcrops and accelerate by self weight to lower elevations by a combination of sliding, rolling, and flow. Since the sedimentological record imprinted by snow avalanches is very localized and transient, this article is restricted to rock-slope instability processes.
Rock avalanche
General attributes
Rock avalanche is a large-scale mass movement process involving the disintegration of a rock slide failure to form a rapidly flowing, granular mass. Many of the largest rock avalanches are known to have been triggered by either volcano collapse or seismic shock. Rock avalanches attain their largest size and destructive potential in high mountain areas and have been recorded on virtually every rock type. The avalanche attributes of high volume (106–1010 m3), high velocity (20–50 ms−1), long running distance (3–20 km), and extensive deposits (hundreds of km2for the largest events) distinguish...
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© 1978 Dowden, Hutchinson & Ross, Inc.
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Bovis, M.J. (1978). Avalanche and rock fall. In: Middleton, G.V., Church, M.J., Coniglio, M., Hardie, L.A., Longstaffe, F.J. (eds) Encyclopedia of Sediments and Sedimentary Rocks. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-3609-5_15
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-3609-5_15
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