O’Higgins University (UOH) researcher Sergio Sepúlveda has studied the phenomenon and, together with a group of researchers, has warned of its consequences.
Deglaciation is a phenomenon of increasing concern these days, due to climate change which has accelerated the processes of glacier retreat. In addition to the environmental consequences and on water resources, the degradation and exposure of slopes in the high mountains -product of this phenomenon- encourages the generation of mass elimination processes.
For this reason, the researcher Institute of Engineering Sciences of the O’Higgins University Sergio Sepúlveda, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Chile: Christian Tobar, Vannesa Rosales, Felipe Ochoa and Marisol Lara, worked on the article “Megaslides and deglaciation: modeling two case studies in the central Andes ”, recently published in the scientific journal natural hazards .
The research focuses on the study of rockslides in the glacial valleys of the central Andes and how discharge from retreating glaciers may contribute to the occurrence of these slides. He uses two cases from Chile: the Estero Parraguirre slide in 1987 and the Yerba Loca rock slide in 2018, both in the metropolitan area mountain range.
The objective of the research was to validate the hypothesis that glacier flow plays an important role in inducing landslides in the central Andes. To do this, numerical models were made using the Universal Distinct Element Code, as well as geological and geotechnical data from previous surveys and field observations.
The consequences of a latent reality
The numerical results showed that the combination of shear stress changes due to glacial discharge and structural control of major discontinuities can induce large rockslides .
The study also highlights the importance of understanding slope failure mechanisms to assess geohazards in the Andes and other mountainous regions.
“In the study the retreat of the glacier was modeled by evaluating the geomechanical effects on the stresses and slope deformations, verifying that deglaciation produces changes in the stress state of the slope surface and the activation of discontinuities in the rock that coincide with the slip zones. This indicates that glacial retreat is acting as a preparatory factor that leaves the slope in a state close to instability, which can now generate mass removal under climatic or seismic triggers,” explains Sepúlveda.
The UOH researcher explains -further- that during the study, two-dimensional numerical modeling tools were used in discontinuous media, with data obtained from satellite images and field observations of the areas of landslides, “which could only be accessed by helicopter due to their great height and distance.
The results -of all this work- suggest that stress redistribution and rock mass damage caused by deglaciation can lead to progressive failure on mountain slopes. “However, more detailed research is needed to better understand these processes and assess the geological risks in the region,” explains the academic.
“These analyzes raise the question of the effect of the current deglaciation and what it generates in the stability of the slopes immediately adjacent to the current glacial front. acceleration of glacial retreat due to the effects of climate change it can apparently increase the occurrence of large rock and ice slides, as has already been observed in some mountainous regions of Central Asia and Canada. These mega rockslides, although they are far away, have the potential to lead to large alluvial deposits that flow into the valleys, generating significant risks for neighboring communities,” concludes the researcher.
Source: Latercera
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