Paleoenvironmental changes in river channel systems in alpine rockslide deposits exemplified by the Fernpass rockslide in the Tyrolian Außerfern District, Austria

This paper describes the instability of river channel systems in alpine rockslide deposits using the Fernpass Rockslide and the river Loisach in the Tyrolian Außerfern District (Austria) as an example of paleoenvironmental developments. This is the first investigation of this kind of the Fernpass, one of the most important Alpine north–south transport connections since the bronze age. It uses geomorphological, sedimentological, onomastic and hydrogeological investigations to reconstruct the course of a late Holocene river in this area and a probabilistic simulation for dating. Tracer tests assisted in investigating the potential groundwater connections of the river systems. The findings show that the Palaeoloisach runs on the orographically right side in a marginal valley of the Fernpass furrow and changes to the orographically left side of the furrow within the Rauth suburb in the village of Biberwier. A probabilistic simulation of the Narrenbichl slip event, which changed the course of the Palaeoloisach, dates the event to an age of 664 ± 116 BC. This investigation is an important contribution to understanding Quaternary postrockslide developments, how groundwater contributes to forming postrockslide channel systems and archaeological findings occurring in populated areas.