Environmental controls of frost cracking revealed through in situ acoustic emission measurements in steep bedrock

• Published in: Geophysical research letters Vol. 40; no. 9; pp. 1748 - 1753
• Main Authors: Girard, Lucas, Gruber, Stephan, Weber, Samuel, Beutel, Jan
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington Blackwell Publishing Ltd 16.05.2013; John Wiley & Sons, Inc
• Subjects: Acoustic emission; Bedrock; Cracking (fracturing); Damage; Emission measurements; Fracture mechanics; Freezing; Frost; Geophysics; Ice; In situ measurement; Moisture content; permafrost; Rock; rock mechanics; Rocks; Water; Water content; weathering

Frost cracking, the breakdown of rock by freezing, is one of the most important mechanical weathering processes acting on Earth's surface. Insights on the mechanisms driving frost cracking stem mainly from laboratory and theoretical studies. Transferring insights from such studies to natural co...