Entrainment of path material is an important feature of many rapid landslides. The associated increases in volume and changes in flow character can significantly influence mobility. A simple material entrainment algorithm, based on the assumption of natural exponential growth with displacement, has been incorporated into a new computer model designed to simulate rapid landslide motion across 3D terrain. The user controls the growth rate and can also implement a change in rheology at the onset of entrainment. A hypothetical example is used to demonstrate the influence of the mass and momentum transfer assumptions. A back-analysis of the 1999 Nomash River landslide is included to show that the simple model is capable of simulating the bulk characteristics of a complex event involving substantial entrainment.
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McDougall et al. (2005) studied this question.