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Rockfalls occur as a result of a number of mechanisms, however some rockfalls occur without a recognized trigger. In granitic rocks subject to exfoliation processes such as those in the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, seemingly spontaneous fracture of exposed rock sheets can pose risks for inhabitants and visitors to these landscapes. Using fundamental concepts from solid mechanics, thermodynamics, and fracture mechanics, combined with state-of-the-art monitoring methods (instrumentation, lidar, and ground-based InSAR), this presentation will share recent research on the processes of exfoliation, and specifically on what types of triggering mechanisms might be responsible for rock falls that occur on hot sunny days when other, more typical, triggers such as precipitation and freeze/thaw action are absent.