Within the August-Wilhelm Scheer Visiting Professor Program funded by the Excellence Initiative of the Technical University of Munich, Dr Sam McColl from Massey University (Palmerston North, New Zealand; upper left image) visited the Chair of Landslide Research for eight weeks in summer 2017. The visit aimed to strengthen the cooperation between Massey University and TUM in form of a research seminar on landslides in New Zealand given by Sam McColl and a joint fieldwork campaign in the project “Alpine Rock Slopes” lead by Daniel Draebing.

The fieldwork took place two weeks in the Gaisberg Valley (upper right image), Ötztal Alps, and four weeks in the Turtmann Valley, Valais Alps. The fieldwork crew comprised Daniel Draebing, Sam McColl, one MSc student and four BSc student assistants (middle images). Aim of the fieldwork was to maintain rockwall monitoring devices and conduct geotechnical mapping, geophysics (lower left image) and sedimentological measurements. In cooperation with Dr Jana Eichel (Karlsruhe Institute of Technology), Daniel Draebing organized an excursion in the Turtmann Valley with participants from University of Lausanne, KIT, TUM, Massey University, University of Jena and University of Copenhagen. The excursion leaders presented their work on biogeomorphic processes and their role on paraglacial adjustment of Turtmann glacier foreland (lower right image) as well as periglacial and paraglacial effects on rock slope processes in the hanging valleys. See more fieldwork impressions here.

Photo credits: all photos by Daniel Draebing