Quantifying irreversible movement in steep, fractured bedrock permafrost on Matterhorn (CH)
Understanding rock slope kinematics in steep, fractured bedrock permafrost is a challenging task. Recent laboratory studies have provided enhanced understanding of rock fatigue and fracturing in cold environments but were not successfully confirmed by field studies. This study presents a unique time...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:87c911c73354458cbf4675eb42bfacc5 2023-05-15T17:57:18+02:00 Quantifying irreversible movement in steep, fractured bedrock permafrost on Matterhorn (CH) S. Weber J. Beutel J. Faillettaz A. Hasler M. Krautblatter A. Vieli 2017-02-01T00:00:00Z https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-567-2017 https://doaj.org/article/87c911c73354458cbf4675eb42bfacc5 EN eng Copernicus Publications http://www.the-cryosphere.net/11/567/2017/tc-11-567-2017.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 1994-0416 1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-11-567-2017 https://doaj.org/article/87c911c73354458cbf4675eb42bfacc5 The Cryosphere, Vol 11, Iss 1, Pp 567-583 (2017) Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 article 2017 ftdoajarticles https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-567-2017 2022-12-31T14:41:31Z Understanding rock slope kinematics in steep, fractured bedrock permafrost is a challenging task. Recent laboratory studies have provided enhanced understanding of rock fatigue and fracturing in cold environments but were not successfully confirmed by field studies. This study presents a unique time series of fracture kinematics, rock temperatures and environmental conditions at 3500 m a. s. l. on the steep, strongly fractured Hörnligrat of the Matterhorn (Swiss Alps). Thanks to 8 years of continuous data, the longer-term evolution of fracture kinematics in permafrost can be analyzed with an unprecedented level of detail. Evidence for common trends in spatiotemporal pattern of fracture kinematics could be found: a partly reversible seasonal movement can be observed at all locations, with variable amplitudes. In the wider context of rock slope stability assessment, we propose separating reversible (elastic) components of fracture kinematics, caused by thermoelastic strains, from the irreversible (plastic) component due to other processes. A regression analysis between temperature and fracture displacement shows that all instrumented fractures exhibit reversible displacements that dominate fracture kinematics in winter. Furthermore, removing this reversible component from the observed displacement enables us to quantify the irreversible component. From this, a new metric – termed index of irreversibility – is proposed to quantify relative irreversibility of fracture kinematics. This new index can identify periods when fracture displacements are dominated by irreversible processes. For many sensors, irreversible enhanced fracture displacement is observed in summer and its initiation coincides with the onset of positive rock temperatures. This likely indicates thawing-related processes, such as meltwater percolation into fractures, as a forcing mechanism for irreversible displacements. For a few instrumented fractures, irreversible displacements were found at the onset of the freezing period, suggesting that ... Article in Journal/Newspaper permafrost The Cryosphere Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles The Cryosphere 11 1 567 583 |
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Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
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English |
topic |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 |
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Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 S. Weber J. Beutel J. Faillettaz A. Hasler M. Krautblatter A. Vieli Quantifying irreversible movement in steep, fractured bedrock permafrost on Matterhorn (CH) |
topic_facet |
Environmental sciences GE1-350 Geology QE1-996.5 |
description |
Understanding rock slope kinematics in steep, fractured bedrock permafrost is a challenging task. Recent laboratory studies have provided enhanced understanding of rock fatigue and fracturing in cold environments but were not successfully confirmed by field studies. This study presents a unique time series of fracture kinematics, rock temperatures and environmental conditions at 3500 m a. s. l. on the steep, strongly fractured Hörnligrat of the Matterhorn (Swiss Alps). Thanks to 8 years of continuous data, the longer-term evolution of fracture kinematics in permafrost can be analyzed with an unprecedented level of detail. Evidence for common trends in spatiotemporal pattern of fracture kinematics could be found: a partly reversible seasonal movement can be observed at all locations, with variable amplitudes. In the wider context of rock slope stability assessment, we propose separating reversible (elastic) components of fracture kinematics, caused by thermoelastic strains, from the irreversible (plastic) component due to other processes. A regression analysis between temperature and fracture displacement shows that all instrumented fractures exhibit reversible displacements that dominate fracture kinematics in winter. Furthermore, removing this reversible component from the observed displacement enables us to quantify the irreversible component. From this, a new metric – termed index of irreversibility – is proposed to quantify relative irreversibility of fracture kinematics. This new index can identify periods when fracture displacements are dominated by irreversible processes. For many sensors, irreversible enhanced fracture displacement is observed in summer and its initiation coincides with the onset of positive rock temperatures. This likely indicates thawing-related processes, such as meltwater percolation into fractures, as a forcing mechanism for irreversible displacements. For a few instrumented fractures, irreversible displacements were found at the onset of the freezing period, suggesting that ... |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
S. Weber J. Beutel J. Faillettaz A. Hasler M. Krautblatter A. Vieli |
author_facet |
S. Weber J. Beutel J. Faillettaz A. Hasler M. Krautblatter A. Vieli |
author_sort |
S. Weber |
title |
Quantifying irreversible movement in steep, fractured bedrock permafrost on Matterhorn (CH) |
title_short |
Quantifying irreversible movement in steep, fractured bedrock permafrost on Matterhorn (CH) |
title_full |
Quantifying irreversible movement in steep, fractured bedrock permafrost on Matterhorn (CH) |
title_fullStr |
Quantifying irreversible movement in steep, fractured bedrock permafrost on Matterhorn (CH) |
title_full_unstemmed |
Quantifying irreversible movement in steep, fractured bedrock permafrost on Matterhorn (CH) |
title_sort |
quantifying irreversible movement in steep, fractured bedrock permafrost on matterhorn (ch) |
publisher |
Copernicus Publications |
publishDate |
2017 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-567-2017 https://doaj.org/article/87c911c73354458cbf4675eb42bfacc5 |
genre |
permafrost The Cryosphere |
genre_facet |
permafrost The Cryosphere |
op_source |
The Cryosphere, Vol 11, Iss 1, Pp 567-583 (2017) |
op_relation |
http://www.the-cryosphere.net/11/567/2017/tc-11-567-2017.pdf https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0416 https://doaj.org/toc/1994-0424 1994-0416 1994-0424 doi:10.5194/tc-11-567-2017 https://doaj.org/article/87c911c73354458cbf4675eb42bfacc5 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-11-567-2017 |
container_title |
The Cryosphere |
container_volume |
11 |
container_issue |
1 |
container_start_page |
567 |
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583 |
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1766165696130056192 |