Lyttelton Volcano, Banks Peninsula, New Zealand: Primary volcanic landforms and eruptive centre identification

Lyttelton Volcano, Banks Peninsula, New Zealand, has historically been viewed as a simple volcanic cone. This paper uses digital terrain models (DTM) and primary volcanic landforms to reinterpret Lyttelton Volcano as having multiple eruptive centres. Primary volcanic landforms are features produced during active volcanism, classified as constructional, hypabyssal, and erosional volcanic features. Constructional volcanic features are lava flows, scoria cones and domes; hypabyssal volcanic features are dykes and sills; and erosional volcanic features are valley and ridge patterns and orientations. Lava flow trends are recognised from aerial photograph analysis and supported by field observations, highlighting radiating lava trends around specific locations within Lyttelton Harbour. Scoria cones and domes occur on the outer flanks of volcanic cones, and are used as such in the identification of remnant cone surfaces. Dyke orientations are plotted and then projected to the interior of the volcano, defining 13 zones of convergence. The projected arrays of these orientations highlight defined regions along the erosional crater rim, each indicating a radial dyke swarm, from which the projected trends of the associated dykes indicate an eruptive centre. Valley and ridge orientations are projected from the longest valley or ridge segment, towards the inner harbour. Radiating erosive patterns are incepted during the growth and degradation of a volcanic cone, with the resulting trends orienting to the summit. Zones of convergence/eruptive centres are identified from lava flow orientations, onlapping lava sequences, scoria cones, and intrusive locations. The summit of a volcanic edifice can be identified from the orientations of valleys and ridges, while radial dyke systems determine whether this summit was a volcanic centre or simply a local topographic high. Volcanic landforms are used to identify cone sectors, the preserved sector associated with a particular eruptive centre. Cone sector limits are defined by a basal footprint and an erosional crater rim, with similar arcuate features (remnant cone features) being exposed in the interior of the volcano. Lyttelton Volcano comprises fifteen volcanic cones, with vent locations controlled by underlying fault lineaments. The growth and erosion of each volcanic cone is reflected in primary volcanic landforms, with the preserved features of cones confined to cone sectors and cone artefacts.     

Geological and geomorphological evolution of the Etna volcano NE flank and relationships between lava flow invasions and erosional processes in the Alcantara Valley (Italy)

In this paper, the interrelationships between volcanic activity and fluvial events in the Alcantara Valley are investigated. Based on the correlation between the stratigraphy of the NE flank of Mt Etna and subsurface data, the geological and geomorphological evolutions of the valley are reconstructed. New 1:10 000 scale geological mapping shows that the bulk of this sector of the volcano is made up of the Ellittico volcano lava flows, though they are widely covered by the products of the eruptive activity of the last 15 ka. The present-day morphological setting of the Alcantara Valley is the result of two main evolutionary phases initiated during the activity of the Ellittico volcano. Only one lava flow invasion of the valley floor occurred in the first phase. This phenomenon was followed by a long period of erosional processes leading to the entrenchment of the drainage pattern and the erosion of the Ellittico lava flow. About 20–25 ka ago, an important change in the frequency of the lava flow invasions into the valley occurred associated with the final stage of the Ellittico volcano activity marking the beginning of the second phase. During this phase, volcanic processes became predominant with respect to other morphogenetic processes in the Alcantara Valley. Lava flows coming from the NE flank of the Ellittico volcano caused a radical modification of the morphological setting of this area, even though only one lava flow emitted by an eruptive fissure located within the valley partially filled the riverbed. During the eruptive activity of the last 15 ka, the complete filling of the Alcantara Valley floor occurred. In particular, between 15 and 7 ka, a lava flow originated from the Mt Moio scoria cone filled the valley floor for a distance of about 9 km. Following a short period of erosion, an eruptive fissure located within the valley generated a 20–21-km-long lava flow that was channelled along the full extent of the Alcantara Valley and stretches for about 3 km offshore in the Ionian sea. In the last 7 ka, lava flows originating from the NE-Rift zone produced only temporary damming of the riverbed without any important contribution to the filling of the Alcantara Valley.     

Reconstructing spatio-temporal patterns of debris-flow activity using dendrogeomorphological methods

Debris flows are a major threat in many parts of the Alps, where they repeatedly cause severe damage to infrastructure and transportation corridors or even loss of life. Nonetheless, the spatial behavior of past debris-flow activity and the analysis of areas affected during particular events have been widely neglected in reconstructions so far. It was therefore the purpose of this study to reconstruct spatio-temporal patterns of past debris flows on a forested cone in the Swiss Alps (Bruchji torrent, Blatten, Valais). The analysis of past events was based on a detailed geomorphic map (1:1000) of all forms related to debris flows as well as on tree-ring series from 401 heavily affected trees (Larix decidua Mill. and Picea abies (L.) Karst.) growing in or next to deposits. The samples were analyzed and growth disturbances related to debris-flow activity assessed, such as tangential rows of traumatic resin ducts, the onset of reaction wood or abrupt growth suppression or release.In total, 960 growth disturbances were identified in the samples, belonging to 40 different event years between A.D. 1867 and 2005. In addition, the coupling of tree-ring data with the geomorphic map allowed reconstruction of eleven formerly active channels and spatial representation of individual events. Based on our results we believe that before 1935, debris flows preferentially used those channels located in the western part of the cone, whereas the eastern part of the cone remained widely unaffected. The spatial representation of the 40 events also allowed identification of five different spatial patterns for debris flows at the study site.     

Wood-mediated geomorphic effects of a jökulhlaup in the Wind River Mountains, Wyoming

A jökulhlaup burst from the head of Grasshopper Glacier in Wyoming's Wind River Mountains during early September 2003. Five reaches with distinct sedimentation patterns were delineated along the Dinwoody Creek drainage. This paper focuses on a portion of the jökulhlaup route where erosion of the forested banks created 16 large logjams spaced at longitudinal intervals of tens to hundreds of meters. Aggradation within the main channel upstream from each logjam created local sediment wedges, and the jams facilitated overbank deposition during the jökulhlaup. Field surveys during 2004 and 2006 documented logjam characteristics and associated erosional and depositional features, as well as initial modification of the logjams and flood deposits within the normal seasonal high-flow channel. Overbank deposits have not been altered by flows occurring since 2003. Field measurements supported three hypotheses that (i) logjams present along the forested portions of the jökulhlaup route are larger and more closely spaced than those along adjacent, otherwise comparable stream channels that have not recently experienced a jökulhlaup; (ii) logjams are not randomly located along the jökulhlaup route, but instead reflect specific conditions of channel and valley geometry and flood hydraulics; and (iii) the presence of logjams facilitated significant erosional and depositional effects. This paper documents a sequence of events in which outburst floodwaters enhance bank erosion and recruitment of wood into the channel, and thus the formation of large logjams. These logjams sufficiently deflect flow to create substantial overbank deposition in areas of the valley bottom not commonly accessed by normal snowmelt peak discharges, and through this process promote valley-bottom aggradation and sediment storage. Changes in the occurrence of glacier outburst floods thus have the potential to alter the rate and magnitude of valley-bottom dynamics in these environments, which is particularly relevant given predictions of worldwide global warming and glacial retreat. Processes observed at this field site likely occur in other forested catchments with headwater glaciers.     

Chronology of relict lake deposits in the Spiti River, NW Trans Himalaya: Implications to Late Pleistocene–Holocene climate-tectonic perturbations

The Spiti River that drains through the arid Trans-Himalayan region is studied here. The relict deposits exposed along the river provide an opportunity to understand the interaction between the phases of intense monsoon and surface processes occurring in the cold and semi arid to-arid Trans-Himalayan region. Based on geomorphological observation the valley is broadly divided into the upper and lower Spiti Valley. The braided channel and the relict fluvio-lacustrine deposits rising from the present riverbed characterize the upper valley. The deposits in the lower valley occur on the uplifted bedrock strath and where the channel characteristics are mainly of meandering nature. Conspicuous is the occurrence of significantly thick lacustrine units within the relict sedimentary sequences of Spiti throughout the valley. The broad sedimentary architecture suggests the formation of these palaeolakes due landslide-driven river damming. The Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) dating of quartz derived from the bounding units of the lacustrine deposits suggests that the upper valley preserves the phase of deposition around 14–6 ka and in the lower valley around 50–30 ka. The review of published palaeoclimatic palaeolake chronology of Spiti Valley indicates that the lakes were probably formed during the wetter conditions related to Marine Isotope Stage III and II. The increased precipitation during these phases induced excessive landsliding and formation of dammed lakes along the Spiti River. The older lacustrine phase being preserved on the uplifted bedrock strath in the lower valley indicates late Pleistocene tectonic activity along the Kaurick Chango normal fault.     

西藏帕隆藏布河谷崩塌滑坡、泥石流的分布规律

西藏帕隆藏布河谷崩塌滑坡、泥石流灾害严重。崩塌滑坡、泥石流的分布 ,因谷坡坡向的水热条件差异而导致坡向差异 ,因地貌发育和形态的沿程分异显现沿程差异 ,因其促发条件的差异又显现灾种差异。采用有序样品最优分割和方差分析等定量方法 ,揭示了崩塌滑坡、泥石流的差异性分布规律 :全河段可分为上游峡谷泥石流密集段 ,中游宽谷泥石流及崩塌滑坡较密集段 ,和下游、拉月曲峡谷崩塌滑坡、泥石流极密集段 ;北岸崩塌滑坡和泥石流比南岸数量多、规模大 ;崩塌滑坡有向下游增大增多之趋势。进而对道路平面选线原则提出了建议。     

2003年中国西南山区典型灾害性暴雨泥石流运动堆积特征

2003年发生在中国西南山区的大规模泥石流为典型的灾害性暴雨泥石流,造成了巨大的经济损失和人员伤亡。作者实地考察其中7条造成较大损失的典型泥石流沟,分析得出,这一地区泥石流的流速一般都比较大,流量变化也比较大,流量大小与流域面积相关,总体上流量随流域面积的增大有增加的趋势,但流量与面积并非正相关关系。同时,在这些流域的堆积物的组成中,粗大颗粒极多,最大的颗粒普遍比较大,另外漂石含量很高。粘性泥石流中砾石含量相对于中国西南山区其它粘性泥石流较低,砂砾含量相对较高,大部分泥石流堆积物的有效粒径(d₁₀)。     

Effects of high-magnitude/low-frequency fluvial events generated by intense snowmelt or heavy rainfall in arctic periglacial environments in northern Swedish Lapland and northern Siberia

Abstract In the Latnjavagge drainage basin (68°21′N, 18°29′E), an arctic‐oceanic periglacial environment in northernmost Swedish Lapland, the fluvial sediment transport and the characteristics and importance of high‐magnitude/low‐frequency fluvial events generated by intense snowmelt or heavy rainfall have been investigated and compared with snowmelt‐ and rainfall‐induced discharge peaks in the Levinson‐Lessing Lake basin (Krasnaya river system) on the Taimyr Peninsula, an arctic periglacial environment in northern Siberia (74°32′N, 98°35′E). In Latnjavagge (9 km²) the intensity of fluvial sediment transport is very low. Most of the total annual sediment load is transported in a few days during snowmelt generated runoff peaks. Due to the continuous and very stable vegetation covering most areas below 1300 m a.s.l. in the Latnjavagge catchment, larger rainfall events are of limited importance for sediment transport in this environment. Compared to that, in the c. 40 times larger Krasnaya riversystem rainfall‐generated runoff peaks cause significant sediment transport. The main sediment sources in the Latnjavagge drainage basin are permanent ice patches, channel debris pavements mobilized during peak discharges and exposing fines, and material mobilized by slush‐flows. In the Krasnaya river system river bank erosion is the main sediment source. In both periglacial environments more than 90% of the annual sediment yield is transported during runoff peaks. The results from both arctic periglacial environments underline the high importance of high‐magnitude/low‐frequency fluvial events for the total fluvial sediment budgets of periglacial fluvial systems. Restricted sediment availability is in both arctic environments the major controlling factor for this behaviour.     

Spatial dynamics of overbank sedimentation in floodplain systems

Floodplains provide valuable social and ecological functions, and understanding the rates and patterns of overbank sedimentation is critical for river basin management and rehabilitation. Channelization of alluvial systems throughout the world has altered hydrological and sedimentation processes within floodplain ecosystems. In the loess belt region of the Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley of the United States, channelization, the geology of the region, and past land-use practices have resulted in the formation of dozens of valley plugs in stream channels and the formation of shoals at the confluence of stream systems. Valley plugs completely block stream channels with sediment and debris and can result in greater deposition rates on floodplain surfaces. Presently, however, information is lacking on the rates and variability of overbank sedimentation associated with valley plugs and shoals.We quantified deposition rates and textures in floodplains along channelized streams that contained valley plugs and shoals, in addition to floodplains occurring along an unchannelized stream, to improve our understanding of overbank sedimentation associated with channelized streams. Feldspar clay marker horizons and marker poles were used to measure floodplain deposition from 2002 to 2005 and data were analyzed with geospatial statistics to determine the spatial dynamics of sedimentation within the floodplains.Mean sediment deposition rates ranged from 0.09 to 0.67 cm/y at unchannelized sites, 0.16 to 2.27 cm/y at shoal sites, and 3.44 to 6.20 cm/y at valley plug sites. Valley plug sites had greater rates of deposition, and the deposited sediments contained more coarse sand material than either shoal or unchannelized sites. A total of 59 of 183 valley plug study plots had mean deposition rates > 5 cm/y. The geospatial analyses showed that the spatial dynamics of sedimentation can be influenced by the formation of valley plugs and shoals on channelized streams; however, responses can vary. Restoration efforts in the region need to have basinwide collaboration with landowners and address catchment-scale processes, including the geomorphic instability of the region, to be successful.     

A morphometric analysis of gullies scoured by post-fire progressively bulked debris flows in southwest Montana, USA

In the fall of 2001, an intense thunderstorm in southwest Montana triggered many debris flows in the burned area of Sleeping Child Creek. In most instances, the debris flows cut deep gullies into previously unchannelized colluvial hollows and deposited large volumes of sediment onto the valley floor. The presence of rill networks above the gullies as well as the absence of landslide features indicate that the gullies were scoured by progressively bulked debris flows, a process in which dilute surface runoff becomes increasingly more laden with sediment until it transforms into a debris flow. In this contribution, we present a morphometric analysis of six of the gullies to better understand this relatively understudied process. We find that the locations of the rill heads and gully heads conform to slope-area thresholds that are characteristic of erosion by overland flow. Our data also suggest that the volumes of the debris flows increase exponentially with normalized drainage area, thus lending support to an assumption used in a recently proposed debris flow incision law. Finally, the debris flow fans have been relatively unaltered since deposition, suggesting that the valley may be currently aggrading while the hillslopes are being denuded.     

Towards an integration of process measurements, archive analysis and modelling in geomorphology — the Kärkevagge experimental site, Abisko area, northern Sweden

The analysis of Holocene geomorphic process activity demands long–term data sets, which are available for the Kärkevagge catchment due to 50 years of intensive geomorphologic field studies. This data set is used in combination with additional field measurements, remote sensing and digital elevation model (DEM) analysis to provide input data for modelling Holocene valley development. On the basis of this information, geomorphic process units (GPUs) are defined by means of GIS modelling. These units represent areas of homogeneous process composition that transfer sediments. Since the data base enables the quantification of single processes, the interaction of processes within the units can also be quantified. Applying this concept permits calculation of recent sediment transfer rates and hence leads to a better understanding of actual geomorphic landscape development activity. To extrapolate these data in time and space the process–related sediments in the valley are analysed for depth and total volume, primarily using geophysical methods. In this fashion the validity of measured process rates is evaluated for the Holocene time scale. Results from this analysis are exemplified in a cross–profile showing some of the principal sediment units in the valley. For example, the measured modern rates on a slush torrent debris fan seem to represent the Holocene mean rate. This approach should also be suitable for revealing Holocene geomorphic landscape development in terms of climate change.     

气候变化对黄河内蒙古段凌汛期的影响

基于黄河内蒙古段1961-2009年气象与水文观测资料,选取黄河内蒙古段上游磴口站和下游托克托县作为研究对象,利用数理统计等方法,分析凌汛最危险地段上下游气候变化与凌汛期的关系。得出:①黄河内蒙古段的凌汛灾害是黄河上游的河道气温比下段高以及地形比降小等,形成黄河内蒙古段下游先封河、上游先开河的局面,导致磴口到托克托县段成为凌险最严重的地段。②随着气候变暖,近50 a黄河内蒙古段开河期提早、封河期推后,凌汛期缩短。尤其在1987年气温发生突变之后,开河期提早和推后趋势更为明显。同时气温突变之后,凌汛期平均温度变异系数增大,封、开河期冷暖变化剧烈,致使封开河期的波动性增大。③影响黄河内蒙古河段开、封河的关键因素是日平均气温小于-5 ℃的积温、日平均气温小于-5 ℃持续时间和封、开河期温度以及封、开河期流量大小等。极端温度事件如寒冷日数、冷夜指数和冷日指数的减少,以及暖夜指数和暖日指数的显著增加也是影响黄河内蒙古段凌汛期缩短的原因之一。     

Towards an integration of process measurements, archive analysis and modelling in geomorphology — the Kärkevagge experimental site, Abisko area, northern Sweden

The analysis of Holocene geomorphic process activity demands long–term data sets, which are available for the Kärkevagge catchment due to 50 years of intensive geomorphologic field studies. This data set is used in combination with additional field measurements, remote sensing and digital elevation model (DEM) analysis to provide input data for modelling Holocene valley development. On the basis of this information, geomorphic process units (GPUs) are defined by means of GIS modelling. These units represent areas of homogeneous process composition that transfer sediments. Since the data base enables the quantification of single processes, the interaction of processes within the units can also be quantified. Applying this concept permits calculation of recent sediment transfer rates and hence leads to a better understanding of actual geomorphic landscape development activity. To extrapolate these data in time and space the process–related sediments in the valley are analysed for depth and total volume, primarily using geophysical methods. In this fashion the validity of measured process rates is evaluated for the Holocene time scale. Results from this analysis are exemplified in a cross–profile showing some of the principal sediment units in the valley. For example, the measured modern rates on a slush torrent debris fan seem to represent the Holocene mean rate. This approach should also be suitable for revealing Holocene geomorphic landscape development in terms of climate change.     

Geomorphic impact and system recovery following an extreme flood in an upland stream: Thinhope Burn, northern England, UK

Quantitative assessments of the impacts of extreme floods on channel morphology are rare. Real Time Kinematic (RTK) GPS surveys of a 500-m reach of the Thinhope Burn, an upland gravel-bed stream in the UK, taken in 2003 and 2004 permitted an assessment of geomorphic work whilst the channel was at steady-state. A large flood that occurred on 17 July 2007 resulted in a catastrophic impact to the Thinhope Burn valley floor. The reach was re-surveyed after the event in 2007, and again in 2008 and in 2011. Digital elevation models were produced from the survey data, which allowed the spatial patterns of erosion and deposition and volumetric changes between surveys to be established. A total of 5202 m³ of deposition and 2125 m³ of erosion was recorded in the reach following the flood event. Field walking of the catchment and comparison of aerial photographs for 2003 and 2007 suggested that most of the material mobilised had originated from existing sediment held in terraces and paleoberms on the valley floor. Although slope failures were evident, including peat slides in the headwaters, delivery of sediment from coupling zones to the channel was thought to play a secondary role in the geomorphic response shown by the channel. Similarly, large volumes of erosion and deposition were found after resurveys in 2008 and 2011, suggesting that the system was still in its relaxation phase. The results obtained in this investigation coupled with historical information on the flood history of Thinhope Burn dating back to 1766 suggested that rare large floods are the geomorphically effective flows in the catchment.     

Late Quaternary sedimentation on the Leidy Creek fan, Nevada–California: geomorphic responses to climate change

Well-dated surface and subsurface deposits in semiarid Fish Lake Valley, Nevada and California, demonstrate that alluvial-fan deposition is strongly associated with the warm dry climate of the last two interglacial intervals, and that fans were stable and (or) incised during the last glaciation. Fan deposition was probably triggered by a change from relatively moist to arid conditions causing a decrease in vegetation cover and increases in flash floods and sediment yield. We think that this scenario applies to most of the other valleys in the southern Basin and Range. Radiocarbon, tephra, and a few thermoluminescence and cosmogenic ages from outcrops throughout Fish Lake Valley and from cores on the Leidy Creek fan yield ages of >100–50 ka and 11–0 ka for the last two periods of alluvial-fan deposition. Mapping, coring and shallow seismic profiling indicate that these periods were synchronous throughout the valley and on the proximal and distal parts of the fans. From 50 to 11 ka, fan deposition ceased, a soil formed on the older alluvium and the axial drainage became active as runoff and stream competence increased. Slow deposition due to sheet flow or aeolian processes locally continued during this interval, producing cumulic soil profiles. The soil was buried by debris-flow sediment beginning at about 11 ka, coincident with the onset of relatively dry and warm conditions in the region. However, ground-water discharge maintained a large freshwater marsh on the valley floor throughout the Holocene. Pulses of deposition during the Holocene are recorded in the marsh and fan deposits; some pulses coincided with periods of or transitions to warm, dry climate indicated by proxy climate records, whereas others may reflect local disturbances associated with volcanism and fires. Within the marsh deposits, much of the clastic material is probably desert loess. In addition, the deposition of coppice dunes within the fan deposits coincides with two dry periods during the late Holocene.     

Holocene debris-flow deposits and their implications on the climate in the upper Jinsha River valley, China

Major debris-flow deposits occur along the xerothermic valley of the upper Jinsha River. The debris-flow deposits, ranging in thickness from 1 to 20 m, invariably occupy gently inclined piedmont slopes. The sediments are presently deeply dissected by gullies, and the process of mass movement has almost ceased. Detailed textural, stratigraphical, and geochemical studies reveal the formation processes of the debris flows. Seven debris-flow incidents are noted based on the unit combination characteristics of debris-flow deposits. The age estimates of optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) show that the occurrence of debris flows started at around 10.6 kyr BP and weakened until 4.5 kyr BP, corresponding to the obvious strengthened phase of the summer monsoons in the region. The ages of the debris-flow deposits indicate that the occurrence of a mass of debris flows was a response to the intensified summer monsoon in the SE fringe of the Tibetan Plateau since the early Holocene.     

Sediment transportation and deposition by rain-triggered lahars at Merapi Volcano,Central Java,Indonesia

A lahar is a general term for a rapidly flowing mixture of rock debris and water (other than normal streamflow) from a volcano and refers to the moving flow. Located in the populated area of Central Java, the stratovolcano Merapi (2965 m) is prone to lahar generation, due to three main factors: (1) millions of cubic meters of pyroclastic deposits are the product of frequent pyroclastic flows, which have occurred on 2- to 4-year intervals; (2) rainfall intensity is high (often 40 mm in 2 h on average) during the rainy season from November to April; and (3) drainage pattern is very dense. Following the 22 November 1994 eruption of Merapi, 31 rain-triggered lahar events were recorded in the Boyong River between December 1994 and May 1996.On Merapi's slopes, instantaneous sediment concentration at any given time of the lahars varies widely over time and space. Lahars are transient sediment-water flows whose properties are unsteady, so that the sediment load fluctuates during the flow. The boundary between the flow types (debris flow, with sediment concentration >60% volume, or hyperconcentrated flow, with sediment concentration ranges from 20% to 60% volume) may fluctuate within the flow itself. Grain-size distribution, physical composition of sediments, shear stress, yield stress, and water temperature play each a role on this boundary. Natural self-damming and rapid breakout are partly responsible for the sediment variations of the flows.Debris-flow phases at Merapi typically last a few minutes to 10 min, and are often restricted to the lahar front. Debris-flow surges are sometimes preceded and always followed by longer hyperconcentrated flow phases. As a result, mean sediment concentration of the lahars is low, commonly from 20% to 50% volume. Besides, transient normal streamflow phases (sediment concentration <20% volume) can occur between two debris-flow surges.Low sediment load and frequent transient flows in the Merapi channels may result from at least three factors: (1) several breaks-in-slope along the channel increase the deposition rate of sediment, and hinder the bulking capacity of the lahars; (2) source material is mainly coarse debris of “Merapi-type” block-and-ash flows. Consequently, the remobilization of coarse debris is more difficult and the clast deposition is accelerated; (3) variations of rainfall intensity over time and space, common in tropical monsoon rainfall, also influence the sediment load variations of the lahars.Sedimentologic analyses of the lahar deposits in the Boyong River at Merapi encompass clast-supported and matrix-supported debris-flow deposits, hyperconcentrated flow deposits, and streamflow deposits. The stratigraphic succession of massive and stratified beds observed immediately after any given lahar event in the Boyong River indicates that the sediment concentration varies widely over time and space during a single lahar event. Sedimentation rate varies from 3 to 4.5 cm/min during relatively long-lived surges to as much as 20 cm/min during short-lived surges. These results indicate that the sediment load fluctuates during lahar flow, further demonstrating that lahars are transient sediment-water flows with unsteady flow properties.     

官坝河泥石流发育特征及对四川邛海的泥沙淤积效应

晚新生代以来青藏高原的强烈隆升造成青藏高原东南边界形成大量的构造断裂,同时构造拉伸和挤压作用也塑造了许多构造断陷湖泊。近年来很多湖泊的面积和深度逐渐减小,对当地生态环境和社会经济发展带来极大影响。选取青藏高原东南缘的西昌邛海流域为研究区,探讨邛海北岸官坝河泥石流发育特征及对邛海的泥沙淤积效应。研究发现：① 官坝河泥石流暴发频率高且规模大,崩塌滑坡和面源侵蚀是泥石流最主要的固体物质来源,动储量约为428.03万m³;② 山洪泥石流的频繁发生是邛海泥沙淤积的主要原因,而频繁地震和强降雨耦合作用控制着区域山洪泥石流活动,预测邛海流域泥石流活动仍将频繁发生,泥沙淤积问题更加严重;③ 自1950年以来,邛海流域泥沙淤积速率约为17.09 mm/a,如按当前淤积速率推算,邛海的寿命将仅约为600年左右;④ 建议对官坝河流域实施工程治理和生物防护相结合的综合治理,并加强流域管理和宣传培训等行政法治管理。该成果可为邛海流域综合规划管理和防灾减灾提供参考依据,有助于揭示青藏高原东南缘湖泊逐渐萎缩的真正原因和控制要素。     

藏东南泥石流沟纵剖面演化的最小功模式

西藏东南地区的泥石流可分为雨水、冰雪融水和冰湖溃决等3种成因类型,其沟谷纵剖面演化均遵循最小功原理,即通过调整坡降使流速增大,表现为单位流体的全程流速平均值ū与纵剖面形态指数N正相关:ū∝f(N),对雨水型泥石流沟,流速函数f(N)={1/3-2/[(N+1)(N+2)(N+3)]}^1/2;对融水型泥石流沟,f(N)={2/3-2/[(N+1)(N+3)]}^1/2;对溃决型泥石流沟,f(N)=[NP(N+1)]^2/3。在泥石流沟谷演化进程中,与ū值由小变大相应,N值由小变大,沟谷纵剖面从上凸抛物线形变为下凹抛物线形,泥石流沟谷地貌演化阶段按泥石流孕育阶段、发展阶段、旺盛阶段、衰减阶段的顺序演替。以藏东南典型泥石流沟作为实例,检验了上述沟谷地貌演化的模式与规律。     

EFFECTS OF SNOW JAMS ON FLUVIAL ACTIVITIES IN THE HIGH ARCTIC

During break-up in the High Arctic, ice jams are insignificant, but large quantities of snow accumulated in the valleys strongly affect fluvial processes. Near Resolute, Cornwallis Island, many channels were first formed in valley snow drifts and their positions were unstable. Channels carved in the snow can easily accommodate changing discharge by a modification of their width, depth, and velocity. This causes considerable variation in the at-a-station hydraulic geometry relationships.

The availability of sediment is locally restricted by the snow lining along the channels, although some fluvial sediments deposited on the snow revealed that peak flows could entrain very large boulders. Several depositional features observed in the study area also indicated that fluvial activities can extend over a broad zone beyond the confines of the summer channels.

This study suggests that, by increasing discharge, snow jams enhance the erosional power of streams, but by interposing between streamflow and the valley floor, the snow can limit the supply of sediments. Whether the erosional or the protectional tendency dominates will depend upon the snow jam characteristics along various segments of the High Arctic streams.