Longitudinal ridges in mass movement deposits

Abstract

Prominent longitudinal features are often reported on the surfaces of mass movement deposits. However, the genesis and implications of these have not hitherto been considered, and herein we present preliminary observations of their occurrence both in the field and in the laboratory. Elongated ridges are often oriented (sub-) parallel to the flow direction and aligned radially from the source due to debris spreading. They are particularly prominent in large (> 10 6m 3) rock avalanches emplaced onto deformable substrates and are also found in the proximal reaches of volcanic debris avalanches. Flowbands, which are longer and thinner expressions of longitudinal ridges, are continuous along the entire flow length and are observed in rock avalanches emplaced onto glaciers, in snow and some ice avalanches, in pyroclastic flows and some block-and-ash flows, in ejecta sheets, in extraterrestrial landslides, and in some volcanic debris avalanches. Other volcanic debris avalanches and the distal areas of rock avalanches often display hummocks that are aligned radially from the source; we propose that these aligned hummocks are remnants of longitudinal ridges. The formation of elongate ridges (and their expressions as flowbands, aligned hummocks, or distal lobes and digits) in qualitatively-similar fashion in both laboratory and field environments suggests they represent an intrinsic tendency of granular flows in a wide range of situations.