Investigating Rainfall-Driven Resonance Frequency Changes in a Natural Rock Formation

Rainfall, temperature variations, and chemical processes are well-known drivers of rock erosion. The impact of rainfall on rocks is not well-understood yet but may impact the mechanical properties (including damage, rigidity, deformation) of the rock. In this study, we exhibit the effect of rainfall events on the resonance frequency of a rock column.

Resonance frequencies of structures have been utilized to monitor rock columns due to their sensitivity to changes in the rock apparent rigidity (1). For instance, daily temperature changes induce stress variations in the rock column, resulting in a daily cycle of resonance frequency changes (thermal-acousto-elasticity, 2).

This research involves long-term monitoring of the first resonance frequency of a 50 m high limestone cliff covering the Chauvet cave in the Ardèche plateau, SW France, exposed to climatic solicitations including daily solar radiation, air temperature fluctuations, and rain events. The rock column was equipped with seismic and meteorologic stations and monitored continuously during three years.

To demonstrate the effect of rainfall events on the mechanical properties of the rock, we calculated the resonance frequency depending only on air temperature and solar radiation, using a simple bivariate linear regression. The regression provides well-fitting results for dry periods but shows larger deviations during most rainy periods. This indicates that rain has an effect on the changes in rock resonance frequency. Identifying and quantifying these changes would be a key factor in understanding the evolution of damage.

 

1) Bottelin, P., Baillet, L., Larose, E., Jongmans, D., Hantz, D., Brenguier, O., ... & Helmstetter, A. (2017). Monitoring rock reinforcement works with ambient vibrations: La Bourne case study (Vercors, France). Engineering Geology, 226, 136-145.

2) Guillemot, A., Baillet, L., Larose, E., & Bottelin, P. (2022). Changes in resonance frequency of rock columns due to thermoelastic effects on a daily scale: observations, modelling and insights to improve monitoring systems. Geophysical Journal International, 231(2), 894-906.