Physically based simulation of dam breach development for Tangjiashan Quake Dam,China

Physically based modeling approach has been widely developed in recent years for simulation of dam failure process resulting from overtopping flow. Due to the lack of field data, there exist few applications to natural quake dams with complex erosion mechanisms. This paper presents a physically based simulation of the failure process of the Tangjiashan Quake Dam formed as a result of the “May 12, 2008” Wenchuan earthquake in China. The one-dimensional model adopted features as cost saving but enables capturing the main characteristics of the failure process, where selective sediment transport and gravitational slope collapse are accounted for. The simulated flow hydrograph and breach progression process are generally in good agreement with the observed data. Unsteadiness and non-uniformity are found to be substantial characteristics of breach progression during the failure process of natural quake dams. Sensitivity analysis showed that the Manning resistance coefficient and the erodibility coefficient in Osman and Thorne’s (J Hydraul Eng 114(2):134–150, 1988) model significantly influences the flow peak discharge but has less influence on its occurrence time, while the velocity lag coefficient associated with bed-load transport may affect the two breaching parameters substantially.     

Stability of landslide dams and development of knickpoints

The Wenchuan earthquake triggered many landslides and numerous avalanches and created 100 odd quake lakes. The quake lakes may be removed or preserved. The removal strategy was applied to several large landslide dams, which were dangerous because massive amounts of water pooled up in the quake lakes. The dams could eventually fail under the action of dam outburst flooding, potentially endangering the lives of people in the downstream reaches. This paper studied the stability of landslide dams and the development of knickpoints by field investigations and experiments, and analyzing satellite images. The study concluded that if landslide dams were preserved, they would develop into knickpoints and act as a primary control of riverbed incision and, thus, reduce the potential of new landslide. The stability of landslide dams depends mainly on the development of the step-pool system and stream power of the flood flow. If a landslide dam consists of many boulders, a step-pool system may develop on the spillway channel of the dam, which would maximize the resistance, consume most of the flow energy and consequently protect the dam from incision. The development degree of the step-pool system is represented by a parameter S _p, which was measured with a specially designed instrument. A preservation ratio of landslide dams is defined as the ratio of preserved height after flood scouring to the original height of the dam. For streams with peak flood discharge lower than 30 m³/s, the preservation ratio is linearly proportional to S _p. For rivers with a peak flood discharge higher than 30 m³/s (30–30,000 m³/s), the minimum S _p value for stable channel increases with log p, in which p is the unit stream power. For a landslide dam with a poorly developed step-pool system, S _p is smaller than the minimum value and the outburst flood incises the spillway channel and causes failure of the dam. For preserved landslide dams, sediment deposits in the quake lakes. A landslide dam may develop into a knickpoint if it is stabilized by long-term action of the flow. Large knickpoints can totally change the fluvial processes and river morphology. Uplift of the Qinghai–Tibetan Plateau has caused extensive channel bed incision along almost all rivers. For many rivers, the incision has been partly controlled by knickpoints. Upstream reaches of a knickpoint have a new and unchanging base level. This brings about a transition from degradation to aggradation and from vertical bed evolution to horizontal fluvial process. Multiple and unstable channels are prominent in the reaches, upstream of the knickpoints. If hundreds of landslide dams occurred simultaneously on a reach of a mountain river, the potential energy of bank failure and the slope erosion would be greatly reduced and sediment yield from the watershed may be reduced to nearly zero. The quake lakes may be preserved long term and become beautiful landscapes. Streams with long-term unfilled quake lakes have good aquatic ecology.     

松散土坡结构特征与滑坡堰塞体堆积特征之间的关系试验研究

通过模型实验,探讨了松散土坡3种不同结构特征条件下(均匀坡体(坡体物料均匀混合)、平行坡体(土层成层且层面与滑面平行)和斜交坡体(土层成层且层面与滑面斜交))形成滑坡堰塞体的动力过程和堆积特征,通过分区域取样及三维扫描技术研究了堰塞体的物质分布规律与形态特征。研究结果表明：堰塞体堆积特征与坡体特征存在紧密联系,堰塞体纵向(沿主沟道方向)和横向(沿滑坡运动方向)上的物质分布与坡体纵向和横向的物质分布特征基本对应;在垂向(表层到底部)上,由于不同坡体条件下滑坡的动力过程和机理不同,从而导致堰塞体堆积特征存在一定区别。均匀坡体和平行坡体呈整体启动模式,运动过程中物料间存在垂向渗透和交换作用,导致堰塞体物质在垂向上呈明显的上粗下细反粒序分布特征,堰塞体横剖面多呈平坦型和倾斜型。斜交坡体呈分层启动模式,运动堆积过程中保持原有层序,粗、细颗粒先后启动条件下颗粒间存在推挤、爬升和水平渗透作用,使得堰塞体更加密实且垂向上也呈现反粒序分布特征,横剖面多呈起伏型。本研究为滑坡堰塞体稳定性快速评估和复原滑坡初始状态提供依据。     

Development of an empirical model for predicting peak breach flow of landslide dams considering material composition

The existing empirical models do not consider the influence of material composition of landslide deposits on the peak breach flow due to the uncertainty in the material composition and the randomness of its distribution. In this study, based on the statistical analyses and case comparison, the factors influencing the peak breach flow were comprehensively investigated. The highlight is the material composition-based classification of landslide deposits of 86 landslide cases with detailed grain-size distribution information. In order to consider the geometric morphology of landslide dams and the potential energy of dammed lakes, as well as the material composition of landslide deposits in an empirical model, a multiple regression method was applied on a database, which comprises of 44 documented landslide dam breach cases. A new empirical model for predicting the peak breach flow of landslide dams was developed. Furthermore, for the same 44 documented landslide dam failures, the predicted peak breach flow obtained by using the existing empirical models for embankment and landslide dams and that obtained by using the newly developed model were compared. The comparison of the root mean square error (E_rms) and the multiple coefficient of determination (R²) for each empirical model verifies the accuracy and rationality of the new empirical model. Furthermore, for fair validation, several landslide dam breach cases that occurred in recent years in China and have reliable measured data were also used in another comparison. The results show that the new empirical model can reasonably predict the peak breach flow, and exhibits the best performance among all the existing empirical models for embankment and landslide dam breaching.

     

基于动理学理论的推移质输沙公式

根据Boltzmann方程得到了床面附近运动颗粒的速度分布函数,将其在速度空间上积分,同时考虑床面颗粒起动概率的影响得到了床面颗粒的冲刷率函数。在此基础上,将该函数代入Einstein提出的推移质输沙基本模式中得到了基于动理学理论的推移质输沙公式。研究结果表明:① 公式计算结果与实验数据吻合,相对误差为10%~50%,可用于高强度和低强度输沙,能够较好地反映出床面附近运动的推移质颗粒的统计属性;② 得到的推移质输沙率理论表达式与经典推移质输沙公式十分接近,同时大大改善了Einstein公式在高强度输沙情况下的计算结果,这也说明了本文理论推导的正确性。     

堰塞坝体材料渗透特性及其稳定性研究

堰塞坝是由于崩塌、滑坡、泥石流等形成的天然坝体,不同于人工土石坝,堰塞坝坝体结构松散,颗粒级配不均匀,在较高水头作用下坝体可能发生渗透破坏而导致溃坝,严重威胁下游人民群众的生命及财产安全。由于堰塞坝存在较大粒径颗粒,常规的渗透试验装置难以满足要求,本文研制了直径为60cm的大直径渗透试验仪,进行了不同堰塞坝级配材料的渗透破坏试验,并探讨了堰塞坝体材料渗透特性的主要影响因素。研究发现:（1）堰塞坝材料的渗透破坏形式取决于材料级配,粗颗粒含量较多时为管涌破坏,细颗粒含量较多或粒径缺失时为流土破坏;（2）堰塞坝渗透系数随干密度的增大而减小,主要取决于细料填充粗料孔隙的程度,单独使用不均匀系数或曲率系数不适用于评价渗透系数的变化;（3）基于试验数据提出了用于堰塞坝渗流破坏形式的判别公式,并推导出堰塞坝管涌破坏的临界水力坡降计算公式。     

The 12 May Wenchuan earthquake-induced landslide lakes: distribution and preliminary risk evaluation

The Wenchuan earthquake, measured at M _s 8.0 according to the China Earthquake Administration, occurred at 14:28 on 12 May 2008 in the Sichuan Province of China. It brought overwhelming destruction to eight provinces and cities. Landslides and rock avalanches triggered by the earthquake produced 257 landslide lakes which were distributed along the fault rupture zone and river channels. The authors traveled to the disaster zone immediately after the earthquake to examine some of the features of the debris dams and performed a quick evaluation of the potential for outburst of earthquake-induced landslide lakes for the purpose of disaster relief. The preliminary analysis indicated that the landslide lakes could be classified as those exhibiting extremely high risk, medium risk, and low risk according to field observations and remote sensing, to determine material composition, dam structure, dam height, maximum water storage capacity, and size of the population potentially affected area. The failure risk of 21 debris dams were evaluated as follows: one dam with an extremely high danger risk, seven dams with a high danger, five dams with a medium danger, and eight dams of low danger. More concern was given to the Tangjiashan Lake and different scenarios for the potential sudden failure of its dam were assessed. The risk evaluation result was accepted in full, by the earthquake disaster relief office. A successful emergency dam treatment for risk reduction was planned, based on our assessments, and these measures were quickly carried out. According to this research, the earthquake destabilized the surrounding mountains, resulting in a prolonged geohazard for the area. Landslides and debris flows will continue to develop for at least 5 to 10 years after the Wenchuan earthquake and will produce additional dammed lakes. Recommendations and plans for earthquake–landslide lake mitigation were proposed, based on past successful practices.     

安砂水电站坝基地下水析出物的研究

从我国首次大坝安全定期检查中得知, 在已建成并运行多年的许多大坝中, 其坝内廊道或基础廊道中的排水孔、排水沟, 均不同程度地发现有地下水析出物存在, 有的析出量特别多, 种类也比较复杂, 曾引起电厂及专家们的重视。本文从研究安砂水电站大坝工程地质、水文地质环境入手, 采取多种分析测试方法, 研究环境水、坝基岩体和析出物的矿物、化学成分、物化特性及颗粒组成等, 揭示坝基地下水析出物的形成机理, 并评价析出物对大坝安全的影响。     

Formation process of a large paleolandslide-dammed lake at Xuelongnang in the upper Jinsha River,SE Tibetan Plateau: constraints from OSL and <Superscript>14</Superscript>C dating

A large number of the landslide dams located on the major rivers at the southeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau have been previously identified through remote sensing analysis and field investigations. The Xuelongnang paleolake was one of the lakes formed by these landslide dams in the upper Jinsha River, where the association of a relict landslide dam, lacustrine sediment, and outburst sediment is well preserved. This preservation provides an opportunity to better understand the formation, evolution, and longevity of a large landslide-dammed lake in the upper Jinsha River. It was inferred that the Xuelongnang dammed lake may have been formed by an earthquake-induced paleoavalanche. The surface area of the lake at its peak was estimated at 7.0?×?10⁶ m², and the corresponding volume was approximately 3.1?×?10⁸ m³. Two outburst flood events were determined to have occurred during the life span of the lake. Based on the 18 ages obtained from optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) and carbon-14 (¹⁴C) dating combined with stratigraphic sequences observed in the field, the paleolandslide-dammed lake was formed at approximately 2.1 ka and subsequently breached locally. The dammed lake was sustained for a period of some 900 years based on the chronological constraining. This study confirms that a major landslide-dammed lake can be sustained for at least hundreds of years and breached by several dam breaks in multiple periods, which contributed to the preservation of the knickpoints at millennial scale along the major rivers in the study area.     

Ice, moraine, and landslide dams in mountainous terrain

We review recent work on ice, moraine, and landslide dams in mountainous terrain, thus complementing several comprehensive summaries on glacier dams in intracontinental and Arctic areas of low relief. We discuss the roles of tectonic and climatic forcing on ice-, moraine-, and landslide-dam formation and sudden drainage, and focus on similarities and differences between their geomorphic impacts on confined valleys drained by steep bedrock and gravel-bed rivers.Despite numerous reported failures of natural dams in mountain belts throughout the world, their relevance to long-term dynamics of mountain rivers remains poorly quantified. All types of dams exert local base-level controls, thus trapping incoming sediment and inhibiting fluvial bedrock incision. Pervasive geomorphic and sedimentary evidence of outburst events is preserved even in areas of high erosion rates, suggesting that sudden dam failures are characterized by processes of catastrophic valley-floor aggradation, active-channel widening, and downstream dispersion of sediment, during which little bedrock erosion seems to be achieved.We find that, in the absence of direct evidence of former dams, a number of similarities among the geomorphic and sedimentologic characteristics of catastrophic outburst flows may give rise to ambiguous inferences on the dam-forming process. This is especially the case for tectonically active mountain belts where there is ample and comparable potential for the formation and failure of ice, moraine, landslide, and polygenetic dams concomitant with climatic oscillations or earthquake disturbance. Hence, the palaeoclimatic implications of erroneously inferring the cause of dam formation may be significant.We recommend that future research on natural dams in mountainous terrain addresses (a) climate- and earthquake-controlled systematics in the pattern of formation and failure; (b) quantification of response of mountain rivers to catastrophic outburst events and their concomitant process sequences; (c) elaboration of a comprehensive classification of natural dams in mountainous terrain with special attention to polygenetic dams; (d) physical-based modelling of dam formation, failure, and routing of water and sediment outbursts; and (e) quantitative controls on the contribution of natural dams to sediment budgets in mountainous terrain.     

Predictive uncertainty of peak outflow relations for landslides dam breach

Risk assessment development considering the failure of landslide dams often requires the estimation of peak outflow through the breach. The empirical equations based on data from case studies tend to be the first direct approach. This paper conducted an uncertainty analysis when these empirical relations were utilized to predict the peak outflow of a breached landslide dam. The results suggest that the relations derived from manmade dams or embankments typically overestimate the peak outflow about 1/5 to 3/4 of an order of magnitude; and the relations derived from the database of landslide dams have much smaller mean prediction errors and also exhibit broad uncertainty bands. Application of the uncertainly analysis was illustrated by the Tangjiashan landslide dammed lake, formed during 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. In addition, the predicted results from Eq. 1 deduced herein were considered to be the reliable estimate of peak outflow through the breach of landslide dam.     

A new global landslide dam database (RAGLAD) and analysis utilizing auxiliary global fluvial datasets

To address the current data and understanding knowledge gap in landslide dam inventories related to geomorphological parameters, a new global-scale landslide dam dataset named River Augmented Global Landslide Dams (RAGLAD) was created. RAGLAD is a collection of landslide dam records from multiple data sources published in various languages and many of these records we have been able to precisely geolocate. In total, 779 landslide dam records were compiled from 34 countries/regions. The spatial distribution, time trend, triggers, and geomorphological characteristic of the landslides and catchments where landslide dams formed are summarized. The relationships between geomorphological characteristics for landslides that form river dams are discussed and compared with those of landslides more generally. Additionally, a potential threshold for landslide dam formation is proposed, based on the relationship of landslide volume to river width. Our findings from our analysis of the value of the use of additional fluvial datasets to augment the database parameters indicate that they can be applied as a reliable supplemental data source, when the landslide dam records were accurately and precisely geolocated, although location precision in smaller river catchment areas can result in some uncertainty at this scale. This newly collected and supplemented dataset will allow the analysis and development of new relationships between landslides located near rivers and their actual propensity to block those particular rivers based on their geomorphology.

     

天然土石坝稳定性初步研究

滑坡堵塞江河形成的天然土石坝是自然作用的产物，不同于人工土石坝，天然土石坝形成后有些存在几十年，几百年，有些形成后不久就溃决，这与坝体本身的性质和河水入流量有关，依据野外实测资料，证了土石坝的稳定性的主要是同土石坝的物质组成，几何形状和堰塞湖入流量等因素决定的，这一研究为天然土石坝的稳定性预测奠定了基础。     

Landslide dam failure and flood hydraulics. Part II: coupled mathematical modelling

A coupled 2D mathematical modelling study of landslide dam failure and flood is presented, complementing our experimental investigation presented in the companion paper. The model is built upon the shallow water hydrodynamic equations. The governing equations are numerically solved using the total-variation-diminishing version of the second-order weighted-average-flux method along with the HLLC (Harten, Lax and van Leer with Contact wave restored) approximate Riemann solver. Two parameters related to bed-load sediment transport and critical slope stability are calibrated using the measured stage hydrographs from two runs of the flume experiments. The calibrated model is then applied to other independent runs of the experiments featuring different inflow discharges, dam geometry, dam composition and initial breach dimensions. It is found to be able to satisfactorily reproduce the measured stage hydrographs and the widening of initial breach. The experimental observation of the prime role of the inflow discharge and initial breach in dictating the dam failure process and flood is unequivocally resolved, along with the impacts of dam geometry as well the content of cohesive clay and gravel in the dam. Interestingly, the downstream peak discharge and stage of the flood are substantially reduced by initial breach, which clearly exemplifies its role in modulating the flooding.     

中国喜马拉雅山地区滑坡堵江编目及空间特征分析

滑坡堵江数据获取与编目是其区域研究开展的基础。喜马拉雅山脉地处中国西南边陲,新构造运动强烈,滑坡堵江事件频发,在产生巨大经济损失的同时也造成了不良国际影响。鉴于该区区域滑坡堵江现场调查难以开展的问题,本文利用遥感技术、地理信息技术,结合野外验证获取了区内136处滑坡堵江事件的空间位置、基本属性和几何形态,建立了中国喜马拉雅山地区滑坡堵江编目。区内滑坡堵江集中分布在米林、札达、加查、错那、隆子、郎县等县,成因类型以滑坡、崩塌、泥石流为主。基于环境要素信息量计算得出该区滑坡堵江的易发程度随高程、坡度、地震加速度的增大先增大后减小,随地震点密度增大先减小后增大,随构造线密度增大逐渐增大,随与水系距离增大逐渐减小。不同坡向中,西向斜坡更容易诱发滑坡堵江,东南坡向最不容易诱发滑坡堵江。高位高山地貌类型、地层条件中的朗县构造混杂岩组和坚硬岩组,构造分区中的高喜马拉雅分区和雅鲁藏布江分区是滑坡堵江形成的有利条件。对比各环境要素不同类别的信息量取值认为影响该区滑坡堵江事件形成的主要背景因素是高程、地貌类型、地层岩组、构造分区和地震点密度。这些滑坡堵江事件几何参数的研究结果表明坝体长度-坝体面积与滑坡面积-坝体面积之间具有拟合程度较高的乘幂函数关系,而其他参数间的相关性并不突出。     

Rock avalanching into a landslide-dammed lake causing multiple dam failure in Las Conchas valley (NW Argentina) — evidence from surface exposure dating and stratigraphic analyses

Generally landslide dams which exist for several hundreds to thousands of years are considered as stable. We show with an example from the Argentine Andes that such dams can exist for several thousands of years but still may fail catastrophically. Multiple rock avalanches impounded two lakes with surface areas of ~8 km² and ~600 km², respectively, in Las Conchas valley, NW Argentina. Surface exposure dating (SED) by ¹⁰Be of the rock-avalanche deposits or landslide scars indicates that these landslides occurred at 15,300±2,000 yr and 13,550±900 yr. The dams were stable during a strong earthquake, as suggested by seismites within related lake sediments and by multiple coeval landslides in this region, which occurred at ~7.5 kyr. However, when a further rock-avalanche fell into the lower, smaller lake at 4,800±500 yr the dam downriver was destroyed, presumably by the resulting tsunami wave. The resulting flood also destroyed an additional rock-fall dam which had formed at ~5,630 yr ¹⁴C cal BP 30 km downriver. The new dam formed by the second rock avalanche was eroded prior to 3,630 yr ¹⁴C cal BP. This dam erosion coincides with an important climatic shift towards more humid conditions in the Central Andes. Our results show that instead of direct effects of strong seismicity on landslide dams, (1) landsliding into a landslide-dammed lake, (2) abrupt hydrological changes, and (3) climate change towards conditions related to enhanced run-off are processes which can produce failures of quasi-stable natural dams.     

The draining of Matthieu landslide-dam lake, Dominica, West Indies

Shortly before midnight on Wednesday, July 27, 2011, the landslide dam forming a lake on the Matthieu River, Dominica, West Indies rapidly breached. The complete draining of the lake caused major flooding along the lower Layou River Valley. No fatalities or injuries resulted despite significant property and infrastructure damage. Government estimates place the cost for immediate cleanup and long-term repairs between ECD$9 million and ECD$18 million. The lake created by the landslide dam was unusual for having persisted nearly 14 ?years. Formation of the Matthieu landslide dam was associated with formation and breaching of two smaller landslide dams on the Layou River in 1997. Available evidence is consistent with breaching due to landsliding on the face of the landslide dam. Landslides removed sufficient material to permit the lake to flow over the dam and erode the dam to about the level of the pre-existing channel of the Matthieu River.     

Landslide dam formation susceptibility analysis based on geomorphic features

Global climate change has increased the frequency of abnormally high rainfall; such high rainfall events in recent years have occurred in the mountainous areas of Taiwan. This study identifies historical earthquake- and typhoon-induced landslide dam formations in Taiwan along with the geomorphic characteristics of the landslides. Two separate groups of landslides are examined which are classified as those that were dammed by river water and those that were not. Our methodology applies spatial analysis using geographic information system (GIS) and models the geomorphic features with 20?×?20 m digital terrain mapping. The Spot 6 satellite images after Typhoon Morakot were used for an interpretation of the landslide areas. The multivariate statistical analysis is also used to find which major factors contribute to the formation of a landslide dam. The objective is to identify the possible locations of landslide dams by the geomorphic features of landslide-prone slopes. The selected nine geomorphic features include landslide area, slope, aspect, length, width, elevation change, runout distance, average landslide elevation, and river width. Our four geomorphic indexes include stream power, form factor, topographic wetness, and elevation–relief ratio. The features of the 28 river-damming landslides and of the 59 non-damming landslides are used for multivariate statistical analysis by Fisher discriminant analysis and logistic regression analysis. The principal component analysis screened out eleven major geomorphic features for landslide area, slope, aspect, elevation change, length, width, runout distance, average elevation, form factor, river width, stream power, and topography wetness. Results show that the correctness by Fisher discriminant analysis was 68.0 % and was 70.8 % by logistic regression analysis. This study suggests that using logistic regression analysis as the assessment model for identifying the potential location of a landslide dam is beneficial. Landslide threshold equations applying the geomorphic features of slope angle, angle of landslide elevation change, and river width (H _L/W _R) to identify the potential formation of natural dams are proposed for analysis. Disaster prevention and mitigation measures are enhanced when the locations of potential landslide dams are identified; further, in order to benefit such measures, dam volume estimates responsible for breaches are key.     

Large-scale simulation of watershed mass transport: a case study of Tsengwen reservoir watershed, southwest Taiwan

We present the large-scale simulation of watershed mass transport, including landslide, debris flow, and sediment transport. A case study of Tsengwen reservoir watershed under the extreme rainfall triggered by typhoon Morakot is conducted for verification. This approach starts with volume-area relation with landslide inventory method to predict temporal and regional landslide volume production and distribution. Then, debris flow model, Debris-2D, is applied to simulate the mass transport from hillslope to fluvial channel. Finally, a sediment transport model, NETSTARS, is used for hydraulic and sediment routing in river and reservoir. Near the water intake at the reservoir dam, the simulated sediment concentration is in good agreement with the measured one. The proposed approach gives good prediction and should help the management of reservoir operation and disaster prevention.