Rock slope movements along the Mount Currie "fault scarp," southern Coast Mountains, British Columbia

Abstract

Rock slope movements are reported from Mount Currie ridge, near Pemberton in the southern Coast Mountains of British Columbia. The site displays linear trenches, antislope scarps, and tension cracks typical of mountain ridges undergoing slow deformation; however, the most prominent linear scarp on the ridge has been previously interpreted as a fault scarp. Kinematic tests on rock discontinuities demonstrate the feasibility of both toppling and plane sliding at this site. Ground-motion vectors based on a 4 year, laser electronic distance measurement (EDM) record of slope movements are generally compatible with the results of the kinematic tests. These results cast doubt on a strictly seismic interpretation of the Mount Currie scarp.