Volume 19, Issue 4-4, December 2015
EFFECT OF SEISMIC ACTIVITY ON THE GRAVITATIONAL PROCESSES TROUGH THE EXAMPLE OF THE BUTROINTSI ROCKFALL, SW BULGARIA
Authors: Radostina Rizova, Georgi Nachev
Abstract: This study investigates the relationship between rockfall and seismic activity. The article examines the development of the Butrointsi rockfall before the earthquake with a magnitude of Mw 5.6 on the Richter scale and the development which occurred as a result of the seismic activity. Comparing the rock blocks’ size, their volume and the deposit’s dynamics before and after the earthquake, the authors emphasize the role of the seismic factor for the activation of the rockfall process. Through the application of various methods (morphographics, morphometrics, sedimentologicals etc.) the authors make a complete profle of the deposits and calculate the amount of collapsed rocks caused by the earthquake. The aim of this study is to emphasize the role of the seismic factor for the dynamics of the Butrointsi rockfall. The authors analyze a combination of terrain data and laboratory results in order to gain insights into the initiation, dynamics and talus deposition of a complex rockfall.
Keywords: gravity processes, butrointsi rockfall, morphodynamics, earthquake, seismic activity.
Article info: 184-193
Received: February 26, 2015 | Revised: Novemeber 4, 2015 | Accepted: December 1, 2015