Simulation of rockfalls triggered by earthquakes

Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering
By: , and 

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Abstract

A computer program to simulate the downslope movement of boulders in rolling or bouncing modes has been developed and applied to actual rockfalls triggered by the Mammoth Lakes, California, earthquake sequence in 1980 and the Central Idaho earthquake in 1983. In order to reproduce a movement mode where bouncing predominated, we introduced an artificial unevenness to the slope surface by adding a small random number to the interpolated value of the mid-points between the adjacent surveyed points. Three hundred simulations were computed for each site by changing the random number series, which determined distances and bouncing intervals. The movement of the boulders was, in general, rather erratic depending on the random numbers employed, and the results could not be seen as deterministic but stochastic. The closest agreement between calculated and actual movements was obtained at the site with the most detailed and accurate topographic measurements. ?? 1990 Springer-Verlag.
Publication type Article
Publication Subtype Journal Article
Title Simulation of rockfalls triggered by earthquakes
Series title Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering
DOI 10.1007/BF01020418
Volume 23
Issue 1
Year Published 1990
Language English
Publisher location Springer-Verlag
Larger Work Type Article
Larger Work Subtype Journal Article
Larger Work Title Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering
First page 1
Last page 20
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