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<br /> <br />~ockfalls are caused by the loss of support from underneath <br />or detachment from a I arger rock mass. The fa II may be <br />started by Ice wedging, root growth, or ground shaking, as <br />we 1 I as a I ass of support through eras Ion or chern I ca I <br />weathering. <br /> <br />Consequences <br /> <br />Kockfalls can demolish structures and kill people. Rocks <br />fall ing on highways may strike vehicles, block traffic, cause <br />accidents, and sometimes damage the road. A minor but costly <br />consequence I s the work of c I ear I ng highways and borrow <br />ditches In rockfa 11 areas. Any structure in the path of a <br />large rockfall Is subject to damage or destruction. <br /> <br />Aggravating Circumstances <br /> <br />Man's activities often cause rocks to fall sooner than they <br />would naturally. Excavations Into hi II and mountainsides <br />for highways and buildings frequently aggravate rockfalls. <br />Vibrations from passing trains or blasting can trigger them, <br />as can changes In surface and ground water conditions. <br />Rockfalls have been attributed to earthquakes and sonic <br />booms. <br /> <br /> <br />Th 1 s set of photos shows where a rock the size of a sma I I car <br />came to res;t after roiling down a hogback southwest of <br /> <br /> <br />Denver. Rockfa I I sand s I i des are a factor In mounta I ns I de <br />development. <br /> <br />01 <br />