Influence of paraglacial processes on rock slope stability in prince william sound, alaskaproject period: 7/1/22-6/30/26CYCLES of glacier advance and retreat generate damage in adjacent valley rock…

This $205,015 cooperative agreement from the U.S. Geological Survey will support research on the influence of paraglacial processes on rock slope stability in Prince William Sound, Alaska. Funded through the USGS Research and Data Collection program (CFDA 15.808), the University of Utah will conduct field characterization of rock slope materials and conditions. Researchers will use these data to parameterize thermo-hydro-mechanical models simulating progressive rock mass failure over time during periods of glacier advance and retreat. Graduate student Molly McCreary will lead the work under the supervision of Principal Investigator Dr. Jeffrey Moore from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2026. The models and field-informed analyses aim to identify the timing, rate and patterns of paraglacial rock slope damage. Results seek new insights into critically stressed slopes experiencing accelerated failure following ice support removal. Findings will support landslide hazard characterization in the region.

Influence of paraglacial processes on rock slope stability in prince william sound, alaskaproject period: 7/1/22-6/30/26CYCLES of glacier advance and retreat generate damage in adjacent valley rock walls acting as preparatory factors of catastrophic slope collapse. While the concept of glacial debuttressing is often invoked to explain the presence of rock slope failures through the loss of a mechanical ICE support, IT has been shown that the debuttressing framework must be expanded to include coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical stresses resulting from changing boundary conditions over time. To better understand the development of rock slope failures in fjord-proximal valleys of prince william sound, alaska, will conduct detailed site-specific characterization of rock slope material properties and environmental conditions, and use these results parameterize 2D distinct element models to simulate the development of rock mass progressive failure over time during periods of both glacier advance and retreat. Key to these models is benchmarking results against the mapped locations, kinematics, and displacement rate of currently observed landslides in the study area. The primary outcomes of this study are a series of field-informed and numerically-based thermo-hydro-mechanical models identifying the timing, rate and spatial pattern of paraglacial rock slope damage. These results will yield new insights as to why particular slopes become critically stressed, such that they experience acceleration and failure in response to removal of ICE support, supporting landslide hazard characterization in the region and in the future. The work will be completed by geology and geophysics / geological engineering researchers at the university of utah, supervised by PI DR. Jeffrey moore and conducted through a PHD study led by graduate student molly mccreary.