RAMMS::RockIce (Beta)
Simulating Complex Rock and Ice Avalanches
RAMMS::RockIce is an advanced engineering tool designed for use by hazard professionals to analyze both pre-event and post-event hazard scenarios. It is particularly well-suited for assessing situations where avalanche deposits may be re-mobilized into secondary debris flows. A key strength of RAMMS::RockIce lies in its ability to predict the water and ice content within avalanche deposits, enabling a detailed understanding of potential remobilization processes. This is made possible by the model’s capability to calculate the timing and extent of ice melt within the flowing mass, offering critical insights into the evolving dynamics of complex alpine hazards.
At its core, the model captures the unique behavior of multi-phase avalanches. It supports a mixture of four key materials—rock, ice, snow, and water—allowing users to simulate the real-world complexity of events where falling rock and ice interact with the snowpack and saturated soils. This makes it particularly well-suited for high-alpine events where different materials combine during descent.
(Hero photo: copyright SLF)
RAMMS::RockIce simulation of the 2017 rock-ice avalanche at Piz Cengalo.
Theory
Using grain flow theory, the model treats rock and ice as boulder-sized particles that can disperse laterally due to shearing. This allows RAMMS::RockIce to not only simulate the dense core of the avalanche but also model the formation and independent motion of powder clouds, a critical feature in high-energy events.
Temperature dynamics are another advanced feature. The model calculates the thermal evolution of all materials—rock, glacier ice, snow, and water—and predicts the production of meltwater through latent heat exchange. This thermodynamic component is essential for understanding how frictional heating and material mixing affect flow behavior.
RAMMS::RockIce also includes advanced entrainment routines that simulate the incorporation of snow, glacier ice, and even water-saturated sediment from the path. This makes it ideal for analyzing cascading processes such as glacier detachments that mobilize underlying debris.
The model has been rigorously tested on several well-known events in the Swiss Alps, including the Piz Cengalo rock/ice avalanche, the Piz Scerscen collapse, and the recent Blatten glacier failure. These applications demonstrate the model’s robustness and reliability in simulating some of the most complex and destructive alpine mass movements in recent history.
23 August 2017
Around 3 million m³ of granitoid rock collapsed from the eastern face of Piz Cengalo (CH), entraining ~0.6 million m³ of glacier ice and transforming into a rock–ice avalanche and debris flow.
(map: copyright swisstopo)
11 June 2023
A 1 million m³ collapse of the southern summit of Fluchthorn (Piz Fenga, AT) occurred, plummeting rock and ice steeply into the surrounding valley.
14 April 2024
A 5.5 million m³ rock–ice avalanche initiated high on the flanks of Piz Scerscen (CH), entraining glacier ice, snow, and soil to reach a total deposition volume of ~10 million m³.
(map: copyright swisstopo)
28 May 2025
A 4.0 million m³ rock mass detached from the Kleines Nesthorn (CH), transforming into a rock–ice avalanche that entrained snow and glacier material, ultimately depositing approximately 9.0 million m³.
(photo: copyright swisstopo)
Downloads
RAMMS::Extended
Publications
ROCKICE Publication List
Zhuang, Y., Dash, R. K., Bühler, Y., Chen R. and Bartelt, P.: Fluidization and snow cover effects in rock-ice-snow avalanches: Lessons from Piz Cengalo, Fluchthorn, and Piz Scerscen events, Computers and Geotechnics, Volume 186, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compgeo.2025.107456, 2025.
Zhuang, Y., McArdell, B. W., and Bartelt, P.: Comparative analysis of μ(I) and Voellmy-type grain flow rheologies in geophysical mass flows: insights from theoretical and real case studies, Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci., 25, 1901–1912, https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-25-1901-2025, 2025.
Zhuang Y., Bartelt P., Xing A., Bilal M. (2024) Rock avalanche-induced air blasts: implications for landslide risk assessments. Geomorphology. 452, 109111 (11 pp.). doi:10.1016/j.geomorph.2024.109111 Institutional Repository DORA
Munch, J., Zhuang, Y., Dash, R. K., & Bartelt, P. (2024). Dynamic thermomechanical modeling of rock‐ice avalanches: Understanding flow transitions, water dynamics, and uncertainties. Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface, 129, e2024JF007805. https://doi.org/10.1029/2024JF007805
Zhuang, Y., Dawadi, B., Steiner, J. et al. An earthquake-triggered avalanche in Nepal in 2015 was exacerbated by climate variability and snowfall anomalies. Commun Earth Environ 5, 465 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s43247-024-01624-z
Bartelt, P., Christen, M., Bühler Y. & Buser, O. (2018). Thermomechanical modelling of rock avalanches with debris, ice and snow entrainment. Numerical Methods in Geotechnical Engineering IX – Cardoso et al. (Eds) © 2018 Taylor & Francis Group, London, ISBN 978-1-138-33203-4.
