Characterization of an unstable mountain slope using ambient seismic vibrations: case study Chilchenstock (GL)

A variety of geological and geotechnical techniques exist to characterize potential rockfall sites, such as fracture mapping or radar interferometry. However, these techniques are based on surface displacements and fail in case of slopes residing in an unstable equilibrium. Ambient seismic noise measurements can provide valuable information in such cases and is potentially able to sense the large-scale instability in depth. We demonstrate the techniques on the well-known instability at Chilchenstock near Linthal, canton of Glarus