Potential rockfalls in the periglacial zone of the Polish High Tatras: Extent and kinematics

Abstract

The study offers the first attempt to combine the identification of rock cliffs particularly prone to rockfall with estimates of the potential trajectories and kinetic energies of the material released in this way in the Tatra Mountains. The results obtained suggest that the potential energy of the relief and the initial size and shape of the rock fragments released have not fundamentally changed since the complete disappearance of the glaciers. It was also found that the degree to which glacial and periglacial landforms are buried by such material depends not just on the location, number and size of the release areas or rockfall frequency but also on the kinetic energy of the rock material released. The rockfalls observed in recent years and those perceived as potentialones are linked not so much to permafrost degradation as to the relief, geology and weather conditions.