Assessment of rockfall hazard in central district of Amasya

Amasya, located in the Central Black Sea Region of Turkey, has always been susceptible to natural disasters such as floods, flash floods, rockfalls, and earthquakes due to its geography. In the past and up to the present day, rockfalls have been common in the central district of Amasya, posing a continuous hazard and risk. This study aims to identify areas in the city center that are at risk of rockfalls by using high-resolution digital surface models (DSM) to create three-dimensional (3D) rockfall models. Using high-resolution DSM data, 192.000 rockfall simulations were conducted with RAMMS: Rockfall Version 1.7.65 software, taking into account source zones with rockfall potential and the average sizes of fallen rock blocks. According to the results obtained, a significant portion of the study area remains at risk of rockfalls. This risk is particularly prevalent in the northern part of the city around the foothills of Kırklar Mountain and Harşena Mountain, as well as in the southern part around the Çakallar area. The results also indicate that the kinetic energy, velocity, and jump height of rock blocks have values that can lead to maximum damage. Additionally, considering the potential for the fallen blocks to move, it is observed that many of them reach residential areas.