COMPLETED PROJECT
Hamilton's Crumbling Escarpment
Remote alpine and arctic environments experience the highest rates of rockfall on Earth.
Cold environments create freeze-thaw processes and rapid temperature changes which cause rock to crumble.
But what happens in urban areas in temperate climates? How do we predict and manage rockfall?
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The Niagara Escarpment spans 800 km across Ontario and the northeastern United States.
Composed of Paleozoic sedimentary rocks, the escarpment is eroding rapidly along its length.
In Hamilton, Ontario, which is bisected by the escarpment, frequent rockfalls have caused over $ in damage.
Despite the risk this poses to infrastructure, motorists, and pedestrians, we know little about how or why the escarpment weathers.
NIAGARA ESCARPMENT
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Hamilton, Ontario
We studied the mechanisms responsible for weathering on the Niagara Escarpment.
How does weathering differ in temperate environments, which have both warm and cold conditions from alpine and arctic regions?
Which factors increase rockfall risk and severity?
Can we predict rockfall damage?
FINDINGS
Predicting Rockfall
We identifying several key factors which dictate the strength of weathering processes: rock type (lithology), vegetation cover, orientation (aspect), and the presence of fractures. Together, these characteristics can be used to identify outcrops at risk of rockfall.
Paper coming soon!
