Tourists Evacuated from Dolomites After Rockfalls
1st August 2025
Last modified on September 13th, 2025
Nearly 100 tourists have been evacuated from the Brenta Dolomites in Italy after a series of rockfalls. Melting permafrost is blamed and further rockfalls are threatened. UPDATED
Experts are inspecting the slopes of Cima Falkner, where multiple rockfalls have been recorded this week.
There are reported to be significant expansions of existing fractures.
Many of these fractures were once filled with ice, but rising temperatures have melted the ice.
When water turns to ice it expands and stabilises the rock formation.
When it melts it weakens it.
“The entire summit is affected by an ongoing geomorphological process, likely linked to permafrost degradation,” said local geologists.
The director of the local government’s Geology Department, Volkmar Mair, said the situation in Brenta is not unique.
“We have the same problems everywhere. We also had collapses in the South Tyrolean Dolomites and we are aware that we can have it everywhere,” he told the local newspaper, Corriere del Trentino.
See here for more on Earth.org
Significant rockfalls occurred on Cima Falkner, 2999 m (Brenta Dolomites) last Sunday on both its W and E faces! 🏔️ 🔥
The entire peak is affected by an ongoing morphogenetic phenomenon, likely related to degradation of permafrost.https://t.co/ZPz5IRKCjO
📽️ cnsastrentino/IG pic.twitter.com/mnZFDqSZB1
— Melaine Le Roy (@subfossilguy) August 1, 2025
The Dolomites saw a major landslide in 2022 when part of the Marmolada glacier collapsed, killing 11 hikers and injuring eight.
Marmolada ice collapse. Image c/o Alpine rescue services.
Earlier this summer the evacuated Swiss village of Blatten was completely buried as a glacier collapsed and triggered a massive landslide.
- Swiss village buried by landslide as glacier collapses
- After Blatten landslide what is the future of the Swiss village?
One Swiss village under threat is Brienz.
It is still forbidden to enter Brienz itself, that has been evacuated since last November.
However the situation in the surrounding areas have improved and roads that were threatened have been pronounced safe.
The ground has dried out and the authorities have lifted bans for cyclists and pedestrians on roads and hiking trails on Sunday.
Temperatures in the Alps are rising at twice the global average and this increases instability in the mountains.
Related Articles:
- Warnings of further glacier collapses as climate change makes mountains unstable
- Monitoring rockfalls in the Alps
- Swiss glaciers start summer with low snowpack
- Glacier collapse on Mt Blanc threatens
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