A rock face affected by small rockfalls has been monitored using a
ground-based remote sensing apparatus: Terrestrial Laser Scanner
(TLS). The pilot study area corresponds to the main scarp of the
1881 Puigcercós landslide (Pallars Jussà, Catalonia, Spain). Four
datasets of the slope were acquired from September 2007 to July 2008
in an ongoing project. The geomorphological evolution of the rock
face in terms of volume and frequency of rockfall was studied by
the comparison of sequential datasets. In addition to the detection
of past events, this study deals with the spatial prediction of rockfalls
through the detection of pre-failure deformation as a precursory
indicator. The high resolution and accuracy and the maximum range
of the TLS offer interesting prospects for both spatial location
and prediction of rockfall.