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<br />or earth. These mater1als are the products of the d1s1ntegrated volcanic <br /> <br />rocks that are seen exposed at the source area. <br /> <br />One of the more 1nterest1ng alteratlon products lnoorporated ln the <br /> <br /> <br />source materlals 1s montmorl11onlte, a clay mlneral that has the unusual <br /> <br />phys1cal characterlst1c of be1ng able to expand several tlmes 1ts orlg1nal <br />volume when water ls lntroduced to It. <br /> <br />It doesn't take much lmaglnatlon to conslder the posslbl1ltles lf <br /> <br />the cllffs at the source area were to be saturated wlth water, say by a <br /> <br />good raln. The montmorl11onlte clays wlthln the cllffs at the source area <br /> <br />begln to swell and the lnternal pressures wlthln the rocks begln to r1se. <br /> <br /> <br />When sufficlent lnternal pressures are reached, the rock breaks and large <br /> <br /> <br />orevasses develop. Water ls more easl1y lntroduced lnto the rocks wlthin <br /> <br /> <br />the cllffs and added swelling of the Clays results. Indlvldual rocks <br /> <br /> <br />continually fall onto the source area by thls mechanlsm of clay swelll~. <br /> <br /> <br />Often large volumes of rock debrls are lntroduced onto the source ln what <br /> <br />ls oommonly referred to as rockslides. <br /> <br />Durlng the wlnter months lce contrlbutes to the breaklng and movlng <br /> <br /> <br />of the rock at the source. Ice melts during the day and water works its way <br /> <br />12 <br /> <br />Q <br />o <br />O' <br />.... <br />o <br />N <br />