Rockfall

Under rockfall one usually sees the demise of stones as gravel or debris on a slope.

Rockfall can have different causes:

• Erosion and weathering
• Rain water or melt water can move rock
• Through animals, careless hikers or climbers stones can be unleashed

If larger contiguous rock masses cancel, we no longer speak of stones, but by a rock fall. A larger, mostly slipping and more avalanche -like disposal of rock and earth masses is called, however, as landslide or landslip.

Geophysics

Rockfall is a form of geodynamic mass movement (geology).

Reason for falling rocks, in addition to secondary effects of other movements, generally frost shattering, but also previously frost -bound stones may start moving at temperatures above the freezing point. Therefore entail both the first hours of cooling by shading ( afternoon hours in the winter and high altitudes ), as well as the first few hours of heating by sunlight (morning hours in the summer months ) special rockfall risk.

Rockfalls as a risk

Also roads in mountainous areas may be affected by rockfall. In this case, the user has to be expected that more or less large stones lying in the way, which can be a dangerous obstacle under certain circumstances. Roads are therefore characterized in such cases, with the danger signs Caution falling rock.

Both " natural", as caused also by the people rockfall also provides a significant risk in mountaineering dar. Although rock properties ( brittle stone), weather (rain, thaw ), time of day, direction ( caused by sunlight heating ) and the local terrain structure ( ravines, gutters ) to draw conclusions about the extent of the danger of falling rocks, one stone chip to large, often unpredictable hazards in mountain sports. In rockfall prone areas rockfall Helmets are strongly recommended.