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Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms pp 1807–1811Cite as

Rock Avalanche

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Definition

A rapid mass movement of bedrock broken from a destabilized slope, resulting in the emplacement of a relatively thin sheet of fragmented rock (this latter point differentiates it from a fall). Motion (flow) is dominated by solid grain forces, rather than influence of fluid (flow).

Category

A type of mass wasting.

A type of flow.

Synonyms

Debris avalanche; Dry rock avalanche; Sturzstrom (slide)

Note

The distinction between slides and avalanches can be unclear and usage of these names in the literature can be ambiguous/inconsistent.

Material and Process

Rock avalanches are a common form of mass movement where the transported material is dry rock or (low-temperature) ice that is fragmented before or during slope failure. This definition excludes debris as source material, but includes any kind of rock, sedimentary, metamorphic, igneous, and also pyroclastic deposits (Hungr et al. 2001). Prevalent on steep slopes, rock avalanches are rapid and often involve the entrainment of...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK

    Gareth S. Collins

Authors
  1. Gareth S. Collins
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gareth S. Collins .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. NASA Ames Research Center/NPP, Moffett Field, CA, USA

    Henrik Hargitai

  2. Konkoly Thege Miklos Astronomical Institute, Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences, Budapest, Hungary

    Ákos Kereszturi

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Collins, G.S. (2015). Rock Avalanche. In: Hargitai, H., Kereszturi, Á. (eds) Encyclopedia of Planetary Landforms. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-3134-3_321

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