Here’s one out of the blue. In the journal Communications in Nonlinear Science and Numerical Simulation:
Wu, Y. Song, Z. Zhang, X. et al. The dynamic corridor of regolith transportation near a spinning-up asteroid 108905 .2025.108905
Particle dynamics has lots of applications- mining, earthworks, product packaging, food handling. This application- ‘rockslides’ on asteroids- is directly relevant to exploration by rovers, human boots, and potentially a risk to other forms of travel, such as hoppers.
Note that the authors specifically include the YORP effect- change in spin caused by asymmetric thermal properties. Asteroids are not passive, static objects (on sufficient timescales). We have seen both Ryugu and Bennu have ‘top’ shapes, and likely (2867) Šteins, due to regolith moving towards the equator and forming a ‘belly band.’ Even on Itokawa, sorting of gravel due to differential sifting is considered likely; Itokawa’s regolith gets churned (on sufficient timescales).
’Just a bunch of dumb rocks’, indeed.