A rockfall occurred at 5:12 pm on Thursday, January 29, from high on the cliff face west of Royal Arches and east of the "Rhombus Wall". Approximately 300 cubic meters (800 tons) of material fell, striking bedrock ledges and finally landing on the large talus slope behind the Ahwahnee Hotel. These impacts produced a large dust cloud and many small flyrock fragments. All of the large rock debris stayed on the talus slope, but some flyrock fragments extended beyond the edge of the talus slope, entering the north side of the Ahwahnee parking lot. One vehicle sustained windshield damage, but there was no other damage reported, and no injuries. Failure of the rock mass occurred along a smooth, inclined surface that was wet when observed on the morning of January 30. Given warm daytime temperatures and freezing nighttime temperatures, snowmelt and/or freeze-thaw are likely triggers for this rockfall.
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February 02, 2009 02:05PM |
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