Son Coco rock avalanche (Majorca, Spain). Description and analysis of movement
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21701/bolgeomin.121.2.003Keywords:
heavy rainfall, Majorca, rock avalanche, rock fall, SpainAbstract
From October 2008 to January 2009, Majorca island was affected by a period of intense rainfall and low temperatures which triggered numerous slope movements, 12 being registered in the Tramuntana Range, some of which seriously affected the road network. On the night 19th December 2008, a rockfall on the eastern slope of the Puig de s´Alcadena (Alaro) took place, generating a rock avalanche with a length of 650 m. The rock avalanche destroyed the pine wood in its path, leaving a tongue of blocks over an area of 60.000 m2 and 300.000 m3 in volume. Some of the blocks have a volume of over 1,500 m3 and are several tones in weight. The wedge failure on the scarp of Puig de s´Alcadena is produced on two planes which coincide with the main tectonic features of the Range. The fact that heavy and continuous rainfall (150 mm in 24 h and 672 mm of accumulated rainfall) coincided with unusually low temperatures (below 0ºC), was the triggering factor of the avalanche. Fortunately, no serious damage occurred.
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