Study on the rainfall and aftershock threshold for debris flow of post-earthquake

Due to the special condition of provenance and disaster environment after "5·12" Earthquake, the probability and conditions of the occurrence of gully debris flow change greatly after the event, which make it difficult to prevent disaster effectively. In this study the hydrological model of ground water table in loose sediment is established. According to infinite slope theory, the safety factor of deposits is defined as the ratio of resistance force to driving force. The starting condition of post-earthquake gully debris flow is clearly studied by analyzing the effects of rainfall intensity, seismic strength, slope gradient and mechanical properties on the balance of accumulation body. Then the formulas of rainfall and aftershock threshold for starting of gully debris flow are proposed, and an example is given to illustrate the effect of rainfall, aftershocks and their coupling action on a debris flow. The result shows the critical rainfall intensity decreases as the lateral seismic acceleration and channel gradient increases, while the critical intensity linearly increases as the friction angle increases.     

Push-pull factors in mountain resorts

The push-pull framework provides a useful approach for examining the tourist motivation. This paper takes the world heritage—Huangshan Mountain as a sample. From the two different aspects of pull and push factors, the underlying features of visitors’ motives to Huangshan Mountain are analyzed with the help of factor analysis. As a result, five push factors and four pull factors are identified. Further analyses investigate differences in the push and pull factors among different socio-demographic subgroups with one-way ANOVA analysis. The result of the study affords us useful references for development, protection and marketing expansion of mountain resorts. Foundation item: Under the auspices of the National Social Science Foundation of China (No. 03BJY084) Biography: WANG De-gen (1973-), male, a native of Huangshan of Anhui Province, lecturer, specialized in tourist market and tourist planning. E-mail: dgwang73@263.net     

Debris flow in metropolitan area — 2011 Seoul debris flow

A large number of debris flows occurred simultaneously at around 8:30 to 8:50 a.m. on July 27, 2011, at the center of Seoul, Korea. This area is located in the southern part of Seoul and is a densely populated district. As a result of the debris flow event, 16 people were killed, 30 houses were buried, and 116 houses were damaged around Umyeon Mountain, a relatively small mountain with a height of 312.6 m. Since the debris flow event, field investigations on the initiation and transportation zones of debris flows have been carried out. Rainfall data were collected from the automatic weather stations (AWSs) which are operated by the Korea Meteorological Administration (KMA). Video files recorded by residents were also acquired and used to analyze the flow characteristics of the debris flow. Field investigation shows that about 40 debris flows occurred around Umyeon Mountain and most of the debris flows were initiated by small slope failures. The effects of the precipitation that triggered the debris flows were analyzed as well. A landslide hazard map which considers slope gradient and aspect, strength of soil, hazard record, rainfall conditions, and vegetation, was constructed and compared with the initiation zones of debris flows.     

Local scour and the laws of scour pit’s shape downstream of debris flow sabo dam

The erosion shape and the law of development of debris flow sabo dam downstream is a weak part in the study on debris flow erosion. The shape and development of scour pit have an important effect on the stability and safety of debris flow sabo dam, which determines the foundational depth of the dam and the design of protective measures downstream. Study on the scouring law of sabo dam downstream can evaluate the erosion range and reasonably arrange auxiliary protective engineering. Therefore, a series of flume experiments are carried out including different debris flow characteristics （density is varying from 1.5 t/m3 to 2.1 t/m~） and different gully longitudinal slopes. The result shows that the scour pit appears as an oval shape in a plane and deep in the middle while superficial at the ends in the longitudinal section, the position of the maximum depth point moves towards downstream with an increase of flume slope angle. The maximum depth of scour pit is mainly affected by the longitudinal slope of gully, density of debris flow, and the characteristics of gully composition （particle size and the viscosity of soil）. The result also indicates that the viscosity of soil will weaken the erosion extent. The interior slopes of scour pit are different between the upstream and the downstream, and the downstream slope is smaller than the upper one. For the viscous and non-viscous sands with the same distribution of gradation, the interior slope of non- viscous sand is smaller than the viscous sand.According to tbe regression analysis on the experimental data, the quantitative relationship between the interior slope of scour pit, slope of repose under water and the longitudinal slope of gully is established and it can be used to calculate the interior slope of scour pit. The results can provide the basis for the parameter design of the debris flow control engineering foundation.     

Dynamic design and construction of highway cut slopes in Huangshan area, China

Deformation and failure of high slope impact the construction and operation safety of highway in the mountainous areas. The deformation and failure are mainly caused by poor design which normally has not well combined with the geological conditions and unplanned construction. Therefore, effective design and construction management should be conducted for ensuring a successful construction without damage and risk. In light of the reality of high slope construction along highway in the Huangshan area, this paper proposes a technical procedure for dynamic design and construction management of high slopes along highway in the mountainous area. The proposed construction management scheme is divided into three phases, i.e., 1) design phase, 2) preparation phase of excavation, and 3) construction phase. During the design phase, experiences and lessons learnt from the design and construction of other high slopes along highway in the same region are summarized. The number of slopes and slope height should be optimized from the aspects of route selection and route form. During the preparation phase of excavation, “Excavation Permit Management System” should be adopted, and construction scheme should be made by the construction unit, then the scientific research and design unit determine whether it guarantees slope stability and makes optimization measures. During the construction phase, the scientific research unit would make proposal of optimization design, and apply the achievements of scientific research into practice through common efforts of various units based on the understanding of excavation and investigation. The management system mentioned above is adopted to conduct dynamic design and construction management for more than 90 slopes along the Huangshan — Taling — Taolin Expressway, and successful results of application have been achieved.     

The disastrous 23 July 2009 debris flow in Xiangshui Gully, Kangding County, Southwestern China

On 23 July 2009, a catastrophic debris flows were triggered by heavy rainfall in Xiangshui gully, Kangding county, southwestern China. This debris flow originating shortly after a rainstorm with an intensity of 28 mm per hour transported a total volume of more than 480×103 m3 debris, depositing the poorly sorted sediment including boulders up to 2-3 m in diameter both onto an existing debris fans and into the river. Our primary objective for this study was to analyze the characteristics of the triggering ra...     

Chemical characteristics of four kinds of water in the rongbuk glacier basin, Mount Qomolangma

ＤｕｒｉｎｇｔｈｅｔｈｒｅｅＭｔ．ＱｏｍｏｌａｎｇｍａＥｘｐｅｄｉｔｉｏｎｓｏｆ１９５９－１９６０,１９６６－１９６８ａｎｄ１９７５,ＣｈｉｎｅｓｅｓｃｉｅｎｔｉｓｔｓｈａｄｏｂｔａｉｎｅｄｍａｎｙｄａｔａｏｆｇｌａｃｉｅｒｓｉｎｔｈｅｄｉｓｔｒｉｃｔｏｆＭｔ．Ｑｏｍｏｌａｎｇｍａ（Ｗａｎｇｅｔａｌ．,１９８０;Ｘｉｅｅｔａｌ．,１９７５;Ｚｈａｎｇｅｔａｌ．,１９７５）．ＩｎＭａｙ１９９７,Ｐｒｏｆ．ＱｉｎＤａｈｅａｎｄＰｒｏｆ．ＰａｕｌＡ．Ｍａｙｅｗｓｋｉｏｒｇａｎｉｚｅｄａｎｏｔｈｅ…     

Characteristics, causes and mitigation of catastrophic debris flow hazard on 21 July 2011 at the Longda Watershed of Songpan County, China

Debris flow is a common natural hazard in the mountain areas of Western China due to favorable natural conditions,and also exacerbated by mountainous exploitation activities.This paper concentrated on the characteristics,causes and mitigation of a catastrophic mine debris flow hazard at Longda Watershed in Songpan County,Sichuan Province,on 21 July 2011.This debris flow deposited in the front of the No.1 dam,silted the drainage channel for flood and then rushed into tailing sediment reservoir in the main channel and made the No.2 dam breached.The outburst debris flow blocked Fu River,formed dammed lake and generated outburst flood,which delivered heavy metals into the lower reaches of Fu River,polluted the drink water source of the population of over 1 million.The debris flow was characterized with a density of 1.87~2.15 t/m 3 and a clay content of less than 1.63%.The peak velocity and flux at Longda Gully was over 10.0~10.9 m/s and 429.0~446.0 m 3 /s,respectively,and the flux was about 700 m 3 /s in main channel,equaling to the flux of the probability of 1%.About 330,000m 3 solid materials was transported by debris flow and deposited in the drainage tunnel(120,000~130,000 m 3),the front of No.1 dam(100,000 m 3) and the mouth of the watershed(100,000~110,000 m 3),respectively.When the peak flux and magnitude of debris flow was more than 462 m 3 /s and 7,423 m 3,respectively,it would block Fu River and produce a hazard chain which was composed of debris flow,dammed lake and outburst flood.Furthermore,the 21 July large-scale debris flow was triggered by rainstorm with an intensity of 21.2 mm/0.5 h and the solid materials of debris flow were provided by landslides,slope deposits,mining wastes and tailing sediments.The property losses were mainly originated from the silting of the drainage tunnel for flash flood but not for debris flow and the irrational location of tailing sediment reservoir.Therefore,the mitigation measures for mine debris flows were presented:(1) The disastrous debris flow watershed should be identified in planning period and prohibited from being taken as the site of mining factories;(2) The mining facilities are constructed at the safe areas or watersheds;(3) Scoria plots,concentrator factory and tailing sediment reservoir are constructed in safe areas where the protection measures be easily made against debris flows;(4) The appropriate system and plan of debris flow mitigation including monitoring,remote monitoring and early-warning and emergency plan is established;(5) The stability of waste dump and tailing sediment reservoir are monitored continuously to prevent mining debris flows.     

Prediction of debris-flow danger area by combining hydrological and inundation simulation methods

Debris flows have caused serious human casualties and economic losses in the regions strongly affected by the Ms8.0 Wenchuan earthquake of 2008. Debris flow mitigation and risk assessment is a key issue for reconstruction.The existing methods of inundation simulation are based on historical disasters and have no power of prediction.The rain-flood method can not yield detailed flow hydrograph and does not meet the need of inundation simulation. In this paper,the process of water flow was studied by using the Arc-SCS model combined with hydraulic method,and then the debris flow runoff process was calculated using the empirical formula combining the result from Arc-SCS.The peak discharge and runoff duration served as input of inundation simulation. Then,the dangerous area is predicted using kinematic wave method and Manning equation.Taking the debris flow in Huashiban gully in Beichuan County,Sichuan Province,China on 24 Sep.2008 as example,the peak discharge of water flow and debris flow were calculated as 35.52 m3·s-1 and 215.66 m3·s-,with error of 4.15%compared to the measured values.The simulated area of debris-flow deposition was 161,500 m2,vs.the measured area of 144,097 m2,in error of 81.75%.The simulated maximum depth was 12.3 m,consistent with the real maximum depth between 10 and 15 m according to the field survey.The minor error is mainly due to the flow impact on buildings and variations in cross-section configuration.The present methodology can be applied to predict debris flow magnitude and evaluate its risk in other watersheds inthe earthquake area.     

DISCOVERY OF ORGANIC MOLECULES IN DEEP-SEA IRON COSMIC DUST

A great quartity of cosmic dust(spherules) was found in deep-sea sediments during May to July,1983manganese nodule investigations by the R/V“XIANGYANGHONG 16”in the area 7°-11°N,167°-178°Win the Pacific.Comprehensive study of the cosmic dust and determination with Laser Raman MolecularMicroprobe(LRMM) of the molecules in it showed that besides Fe-Fe,Fe~(3+)-O,Fe-Ni,Al-O,Fe-Obr-Si and Si-Onb,it also contained the organic molecules C-H-O and C-H-S-O,various no fixed form molecules of C,CH_2,CH_3 and volatile molecules CO_2,H_2O,OH~- and H_2S,etc…The study result has very important applications for exploring the origin of interplanetary dust parti-cles and life material.     

Pigment characterization for the 2011 bloom in Qinhuangdao implicated "brown tide" events in China

A large-scale bloom occurred from May to June in 2011 in sea area near Qinhuangdao of the Bohai Sea, leading to huge damage of the scallop culture industry. Similar blooms have been observed in this region for three years. The causative species of the bloom, which dominated the phytoplankton community with the maximum cell density around 109 cell/L, could not be identified with morphological features due to the small cell size (~2 mm). A pigment analytical method was then adopted to analyze the pigment profile of the phytoplankton samples collected from the blooming sea area. It was found that pico-sized (<2 mm), nano-sized (2-20 mm), and bulk phytoplankton samples had similar pigment profile, representing the pigment signature of the bloom-causative species. The major pigments detected included 19-butanoyloxyfucoxanthin (But-fuco), fucoxanthin (Fuco), diadinoxanthin (Diad) and chlorophyll a (Chl a), and high content of But-fuco was the most significant characteristics of the phytoplankton samples. Based on the pigment composition and content, the bloom-causative species could be tentatively identified as pelagophyte, "type 8" group of haptophyte, or silicoflagellate. Some unique features of the bloom, such as the extremely high cell density, small-sized and But-fuco containing cells, occurring in early summer, and the feeding-cessation effects on scallops, suggest it be a "brown tide" event similar to those reported in the east coast of the United States of America. The recurrent "brown tide" events and their dramatic impacts on the shellfish mariculture industry in Qinhuangdao need close attention in the coming years.     

Experimental study on the energy dissipation characteristics of debris flow deceleration baffles

Debris flow can cause serious damages to roads, bridges, buildings and other infrastructures.Arranging several rows of deceleration baffles in the significant influence on the mobility and deposition characteristic of debris flow. The deposit amount first increased then decreased when the flow density rises,flow path can reduce the flow velocity and ensure better protection of life and property. In debris flow prevention projects, deceleration baffles can effectively reduce the erosion of the debris flow and prolong the running time of the drainage channel.This study investigated the degree to which a 6 m long flume and three rows of deceleration baffles reduce the debris flow velocity and affect the energy dissipation characteristics. The influential variables include channel slope, debris flow density, and spacing between baffle rows. The experimental results demonstrated that the typical flow pattern was a sudden increase in flow depth and vertical proliferation when debris flow flows through the baffles. Strong turbulence between debris flow and baffles can contribute to energy dissipation and decrease the kinematic velocity considerably. The results showed that the reduction ratio of velocity increased with the increase in debris flow density,channel slope and spacing between rows. Tests phenomena also indicated that debris flow density hasand the deposit amount of debris flow density of 1500kg/m~3 reached the maximum when the experimental flume slope is 12°.     

ON THE DIVISION OF NORTH BOUNDARY OF SUBTROPICAL ZONE ACCORDING TO THE COMPOSITIONS AND PROPERTIES OF SOIL HUMUS

In this paper predecessorsˊ achievements about the division between subtropical zone and warm temperate zone on the south slope of Funiu Mountain are firstly summarized,and the cause why these viewpoints about the division are different also has been presented.Seven soil profiles at different heights above sea level are dug along the south slope of Funiu Mountain.Many compositions and properties of soil humus have been analyzed in laboratory.A comprehensive study has been made about the division according to the compositions and properties of soil humus with mathematical method.During the analysis process eitht indexes have been used,such as altitude,organic carbon,humic acid(HA),fulvic acid(FA),the ratio of humic acid and fulvic acid(HA/FA),two extinction coefficients(E4,E6), and their ratio (E4/E6).The result indicates that the boundary is at about 1000 meters above sea level.     

Geomorphologic analysis and physico-dynamic characteristics of Zhatai-Gully debris flows in SW China

Zhatai gully is a typical debris flow channel in Butuo county of Sichuan province, southwestern China. The geomorphologic features are analyzed and the physical-dynamic characteristics are discussed on the basis of field investigation and laboratory tests. Geomorphologic analysis indicates that Zhatai-gully drainage in relation to debris flow can be divided into source area, transport area, and deposition area. The source area has a steep slope and has very limited vegetation cover, which favors runoff, allowing loose solid materials to be mobilized easily and rapidly. In the transport area, there are many small landslides, lateral lobes, and loose materials distributed on both banks. These landslides are active and constantly providing abundant source of soils for the debris flows. In the deposition area, three old debris-flow deposits of different ages can be observed. The dynamic calculation shows that within the recurrence intervals of 50 and 100 years, debris flow discharges are 155.77m³/s and 1y8.19m³/s and deposition volumes are 16.39 x 10⁴ m³ and 18.14 x 10⁴ m³, respectively. The depositional fan of an old debris flow in the outlet of the gully can be subdivided into six layers. There are three debris flow deposits on left and two on the right side of the gully. Grain-size tests of sediments from the soil, gulley bed deposits, and the fresh and old debris flow deposits showed that high amounts of clay and fine gravel were derived from the soil in the source area whereas much of the gravel fraction were sourced from the gully bed deposits. Comprehensive analysis indicates that Zhatai gully is viscous debris-flow gully with moderate to high frequency and moderate to large magnitude debris flows. The risk of a debris flow disaster in Zhatai-gully is moderate and poses a potential threat to the planned hydroelectric dam. Appropriate engineering measures are suggested in the construction and protection of the planned hydroelectric station.     

Densities of Huanghe River estuary and Bohai Bay waters

The densities of 36 water samples from the Huanghe River estuary and Bohai Bay were determinedby a magnetic float densimcter under three temperatures from 15℃ to 25℃.All the measured densities ofsamples were greater than that of the values calculated from the International Equation of State of Seawater.The differences between the measured and calculated densities increased with the decrease of salinities.The dif-ferences appeared exponentially correlated with[Ca~(2+)]/s,[Mg~(2+)]/s and[SO_4~(2-)]/s,and had"s"type curverelationship with the alkalinity in all salinity range.But in the salinity ranging from 25.72 to 31.57,therelationships were all linear.The density difference can be estimated from the equation △ρ（10~3kg·m~(-3)）=（-2.79+236.5([Ca~(2+)]/s)/(-9.7464×10~（-3）+[Ca~(2+)]/s).It was the high alkalinity and[Ca~(2+)]/s that resulted in the measured densi-ties of seawaters being higher than the calculated densities in the Huanghe estuary and Bohai Bay.     

The influence of Fe^2＋ on growth and development of cells enzymatically isolated from Porphyra yezoensis blades

Fe^2＋ acted as an accessorial factor for many cellular enzymatic reactions is very important for seaweed growth and development, but the Fe^2＋ requirement in nori had not been seen. Porphyra yezoensis cells were separated enzymatically and cultured in a series of sterilized seawater media containing various concentrations of Fe^2＋. The growth development and cell were investigated in this work. Through this experiment, two biologically-meant concentration scales were found, one is low concentrations, 12.1-102.1μg/L, 10-100 times than that in seawater, favoring the development of isolated cells of Porphyra and the other was high concentrations, more than 10mg/L inhibiting the cell growth, leading to the deformity and shrinkage of the cells. At the concentration of 50 mg/L, the cells stopped growing and died eventually.     

Study on the isotherms of the interaction between suspended particles and Cu (II) in the Huanghe River

The isotherms of the interaction between the suspended particles and Cu²⁺, and the effects of lysine and asparaginic acid on the isotherms in the Huanghe (Yellow) River were studied by applying the theory and method of interfacial stepwise ion/coordination particle exchange. We obtained a new stepped river isotherm, formed by two curves joined together with a “plateau” in the middle. The adsorption equilibrium constantsK ₁ andK ₂ were calculated by using the isothermal equation of surface stepwise ion exchange. Amino acid in small amount promotes exchange adsorption of the suspended particles with Cu²⁺. The degree of promotive action relates to the isoelectric point of amino acid. The promotive effect of lysine is bigger than that of asparaginic acid. Project 29361001 supported by NSFC.     

Effects of iron electrovalence and species on growth and astaxanthin production of Haematococcus pluvialis

To increase the cell concentration and the accumulation of astaxanthin in the cultivation of Haematococcus pluvialis, effects of different iron electrovalencies (Fe²⁺-EDTA and Fe³⁺-EDTA) and species (Fe-EDTA, Fe(OH)_x^32x and FeC₆H₅O₇) addition on cell growth and accumulation of astaxanthin were studied. Results show that different iron electrovalencies have various effects on cell growth and astaxanthin accumulation of H. pluvialis. Compared with Fe³⁺-EDTA, Fe²⁺-EDTA stimulate more effectively the formation of astaxanthin. The maximum astaxanthin content (30.70 mg/g biomass cell) was obtained under conditions of 18 μmol/L Fe²⁺-EDTA, despite the lower cell density (2.3×10⁵ cell/ml) in such condition. Fe³⁺-EDTA is more effective than Fe²⁺-EDTA in improving the cell growth. Especially, the maximal steady-state cell density, 2.9×10⁵ cell/ml was obtained at 18 μmol/L Fe³⁺-EDTA addition. On the other hand, all the various species of iron (EDTA-Fe, Fe(OH)_x^32x, FeC₆H₅O₇) are capable to improve the growth of the algae and astaxanthin production. Among the three iron species, FeC₆H₅O₇ performed the best. Under the condition of a higher concentration (36 μmol/L) of FeC₆H₅O₇, the cell density and astaxanthin production is 2 and 7 times higher than those of iron-limited group, respectively. The present study demonstrates that the effects of the stimulation with different iron species increased in the order of FeC₆H₅O₇, Fe(OH)_x^32x and EDTA-Fe. Supported by Xiamen Scientific and Technologic Projects (No. 3052Z20031086), Xiamen University Alumni Association Foundation in Singapore, and the First National College Students Innovative Experimental Project     

Hybrid simulation of the initiation and runout characteristics of a catastrophic debris flow

On 13 August 2010, a catastrophic debris flow with a volume of 1.17 million m³ occurred in Xiaojiagou Ravine near Yingxiu town of Wenchuan county in Sichuan Province, China. The main source material was the landslide deposits retained in the ravine during the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake. This paper describes a two-dimensional hybrid numerical method that simulates the entire process of the debris flow from initiation to transportation and finally to deposition. The study area is discretized into a grid of square zones. A two dimensional finite difference method is then applied to simulate the rainfall-runoff and debris flow runout processes. The analysis is divided into three steps; namely, rainfall-runoff simulation, mixing water and solid materials, and debris flow runout simulation. The rainfall-runoff simulation is firstly conducted to obtain the cumulative runoff near the location of main source material and at the outlet of the first branch. The water and solid materials are then mixed to create an inflow hydrograph for the debris flow runout simulation. The occurrence time and volume of the debris flow can be estimated in this step. Finally the runout process of the debris flow is simulated. When the yield stress is high, it controls the deposition zone. When the yield stress is medium or low, both yield stress and viscosity influence the deposition zone. The flow velocity is largely influenced by the viscosity. The estimated yield stress by the equation, τ _y = ρghsin θ, and the estimated viscosity by the equation established by Bisantino et al. (2010) provide good estimates of the area of the debris flow fan and the distribution of deposition depth.     

“Tear drop pattern” potash deposits in lacustrine facies

It is well known that there are two patterns of potash deposition in lacustrine facies: “tear drop pattern” (the Dabsan saline lake is a typical example) and “bull's eye pattern”. Potash-forming in tear drop pattern is still continuing. The 2,678 m A. S. L. lake in the middle of the Qarhan playa in the Qaidam Basin covers an area of 210 km², and has an average depth of 0.39 m. Its MgCl₂ type surface brine is 280–340 g/l in salinity and mainly consists of Na, K, Mg and Cl. As a rule, the potash deposits occur as evaporite distributed in tear drop pattern at the northern and northeastern lakeshore zones. They mostly consist of carnallite and halite, occasionally sylvite. The deposition is very unstable and controlled principally by the varying supply of deposit materials from the Golmud River in the south. The potash deposits were formed when concentration of the surface brine reached a certain degree in the main evaporating season. Their forming process followed some crystalization paths in the phase diagram for the Na, K, Mg/Cl H₂O equilibrium system. Such a sedimentary model of potash deposits in the lacustrine facies is relatively common in nature. Under the extremely arid climate, differential concentration of the nonhomogeneous potassium-rich surface brine produced the potash deposits. Qarhan Salt Lake also had the same pattern of potash depositions and so, in a sense, the Dabsan saline lake is the continuation of the Qarhan salt lake in terms of potash formation. Schmalz (1970) put forward two distributive patterns for evaporite: “tear drop pattern” and “bull's eye pattern”. These patterns exist in both marine and continental salt-bearing basins (including recent salt lakes), and are controlled by the conditions of physical geography, hydrogeology, sedimentology and climatology of each basin. In his works (Sun, 1981; 1984; 1986; 1988) on the origins of potash deposits, the author always referred to them as two models of potash formation. The “tear drop pattern” is one of the salt-forming models and also an important potash-forming model. This paper deals with the formative mechanism of the tear drop pattern potash deposition by presenting the Dabsan saline lake as an example and elucidates on the distributive characteristics and formative processes of potash deposits in the lake.