Brienz/Brinzauls slope instability and potential landslide-dammed lake

• Applicants: Professor Florian Amann, Ph.D.; Anja Dufresne, Ph.D.
• Subject Area: Palaeontology
• Term: from 2020 to 2024
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 453446435

Blocking of river courses by landslides is a common global phenomenon. Traces of past river blockages include lacustrine sediments in the former impoundment (where unusually large fans tell of quiescent waters), knickpoints in the river profile, river piracy, delta-sediments upstream of the former lake and directly downstream of the dam site, dam-breach flood sediments, and remnants of the dam itself (if not completely eroded) flanking a prominent breach. However, lacustrine sediments in Alpine river valleys can also have very different origins, such as glacial or tectonic. Deciphering the origin of lacustrine sediments at an active, slow-moving landslide in the Swiss Alps is the goal of this project since this site is currently showing accelerated slope movements. Knowing whether this site has experienced movements rapid enough to block the river in the past will help us guide future investigations and better understand the dynamics of this inhabited slope.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants