The active Brienz/Brinzauls landslide complex in canton Grisons is one of the best monitored and most societally relevant slope instabilities in Switzerland. There are remarkable, old headscarp structures behind the actually active headscarp that may play a role in future evolution of the landslide activity. Thus, it‘s relevant to know, when these were formed and if they were reactivated at some time. Did it develop shortly after deglaciation, or is it the result of a much younger reactivation? Answering this question is crucial for understanding the long-term evolution of the slope and for improving hazard assessment.
This MSc project offers the opportunity to work on a highly topical natural hazard problem in close collaboration with industry and cantonal hazard specialists. The main aim of the thesis is to determine the exposure age of an old inactive headscarp behind the highly active recent main scarp of the Brienz/Brizauls landslide complex using cosmogenic 36Cl surface exposure dating on dolomitic bedrock. The student will identify suitable sampling sites using photographs, maps, and topographic data, participate in fieldwork at the scarp together with project partners, and contribute to laboratory preparation and interpretation of the cosmogenic nuclide data. The results will be integrated with existing geomorphological observations and monitoring data to reconstruct the chronology of scarp formation and possible reactivation phases.
This project combines fieldwork, laboratory work, geochronology, geomorphology, and natural hazard research and provides first-hand insight into an active landslide system of major relevance for science and society.
The MSc student will present the results at national conferences and write the thesis in manuscript format, with the goal of publishing the study in an open-access scientific journal.
In collaboration with Dr. Reto Grischott, Büro für technische Geologie.
Advisors: Prof. Naki Akçar
University: BE