Munich Alpine Hazards and Mitigation Cluster (AlpHaz)

New geophysical permafrost measurement site at the Zugspitze


The climate-induced degradation of permafrost can influence rock slope stability in alpine areas. Along the crest line of the highest mountain in Germany, the Zugspitze (2960 m asl.), we observe rock creep at the lower permafrost extension boundary in the northern Alps. Since August 2014, Philipp Mamot of the Landslide Research Group conducts electrical resistivity tomography measurements in this area to gain insight into the spatial distribution of frozen and unfrozen parts in the rock slope. In Oct 2015 he and his colleagues got access to a gallery inside the crestline, just 30 m below the rock creep area and installed a new permafrost monitoring transect.