From the reviews: "The book contributes to fill the gap between scientists and engineers and planers by providing a detailed overview on methods for the dating of historical events and by fostering the discussion on the impact of past and potential future climatic changes on torrential processes. ... an excellent book, which will help researchers, as well as engineers and planers to understand the complex processes of torrents in the Alpine realm. This publication will be a useful guide in the daily challenges of hazard and risk assessment." (Thomas Hofmann, Jahrbuch der Geologischen Bundesanstalt, Vol. 152 (1-4), December, 2012)

• 1. Dating Past Events on Fans and Cones – An Introduction.- 2. Processes of Sediment Supply to Alluvial Fans and Debris Cones.- 3. Susceptibility and Triggers for Debris Flows: Emergence, Loading, Release and Entrainment.- 4. Sediment Transport Processes.- 5. Debris-Flow Runout and Deposition on the Fan.- 6. Events on Fans and Cones: Recurrence Interval and Magnitude.- 7. Silent Witnesses For Torrential Processes.- 8. Assessment of Past Torrential Events Through Historical Sources.- 9. The Use of Airborne Laser Swath Mapping on Fans And Cones: An Example from the Colorado Front Range.- 10. Dendrogeomorphology – Tracking Past Events with Tree Rings.- 11. Tree-Ring Based Record of Debris-Flow Dynamics and Triggering Rain Storms at Ritigraben (Swiss Alps) Since AD 1570.- 12. Vegetation Analysis on Composite Debris Cones.- 13. Using Age of Colonizing Douglas-Fir for the Dating of Young Geomorphic Surfaces – A Case Study.- 14. Lichenometric Dating of Debris Avalanche Deposits with an Example from the French Alps.- 15. Lake Sediments as Archives of Recurrence Rates and Intensities of Past Flood Events.- 16. Dating Fan Deposits with Cosmogenic Nuclides.- 17. Radiocarbon Dating: Alluvial Fan / Debris Cone Evolution and Hazards.- 18. Luminescence Dating of Alluvial Fans and Cones.- 19. Timing The Interface Between Mass Wasting and Fluvial Processes with OSL.- 20. Debris-Flow Monitoring in Italy.- 21. Documentation of Torrential Events.- 22. Rainfall Thresholds for Possible Occurrence of Shallow Landslides and Debris Flows in Italy.- 23. Hazard Assessment.- 24. Dealing With Natural Hazard Risks In Switzerland – The Influence Of Hazard Mapping On Risk-Based Decision Making.- 25. Hazard Mapping and Land-Use Planning – A Swiss Perspective.- 26. Design Criteria for Torrential Barriers.- 27. Forecasting, Early Warning and Event Management: Non-Structural Protection Measures for Flash Floods and Debris Flows.- 28. Climate Research and Adaptation Strategies – Examples from the European Alps.- 29. Dating Methods Overview: Checklist for Practitioners.- 30. Summary and Outlook.