Case study of a giant debris flow in the Wenjia Gully, Sichuan Province, China

The debris flow, which was triggered in the Wenjia Gully on August 13, 2010, is an extreme example of mass movement events, which occurred after the Wenchuan earthquake of May 12, 2008. This Earthquake triggered in the Wenjia Gully the second largest co-seismic landslide, which can be classified as a rockslide-debris avalanche. A lot of loose sediments was deposited in the basin. In the main so called Deposition Area II of this landslide, with a volume of 30?×?10⁶?m³, flash floods can easily trigger debris flows because of the steep bottom slope and the relative small grain sizes of the sediments. The largest debris flow of August 13, 2010 destroyed the most downstream dam in the catchment during a heavy rain storm. The debris flow with a peak discharge of 1,530?m³/s and a total volume of 3.1?×?10⁶?m³ caused the death of 7 persons, 5 persons were missing, 39 persons were injured and 479 houses buried. After three rainy seasons, only 16?% of the landslide-debris deposition was taken away by 5 large-scale debris flow events. Since the threshold for rainfall triggered debris flows in the Wenjia Gully and other catchments drastically decreased after the Wenchuan Earthquake, new catastrophic events are expected in the future during the rainy season.     

冰碛土体起动泥石流的特征研究

与广泛分布于干旱河谷的宽级配砾石土体特征不同,冰碛土广泛分布在青藏高原地区,属粗大颗粒多、粘粒含量少、摩擦阻力大、粘滞阻力小的宽级配砾石土体。在冰川融雪与降雨的共同作用下冰碛土体可失稳并起动泥石流,形成灾害。针对冰碛土体起动泥石流机理研究薄弱的现状,本文选取波密县帕隆藏布流域的支流嘎弄沟一冰碛土堆积坡面,通过模拟降水与冰雪融水起动冰川泥石流实验,比较不同颗粒组成、不同实验条件下的土体起动泥石流特征,分析其起动成因及力学特性,探讨冰碛土体起动泥石流的机理。研究发现冰碛土体失稳起动泥石流是粘滞阻力降低、孔隙水压力升高、拖曳力与渗流侵蚀共同作用的结果,起动过程受粘土颗粒含量和径流类型的影响。当粘粒含量较高时(>3%),土体通过铲蚀与面蚀形成泥石流;粘粒含量中低时(不高于3%),大部分坡面土体主要经掏蚀与坍塌起动泥石流;粘粒含量过低时(<0.32%),土体难以起动泥石流。在降水作用下土体孔隙水压力迅速增加,易造成土体破坏,起动泥石流;而在冰雪融水的作用下,土体孔隙水压力波动幅度不大时,土体同样可能发生失稳破坏起动泥石流。     

Debris flow magnitude,frequency, and precipitation threshold in the eastern North Cascades,Washington, USA

We examine the magnitude, frequency, and precipitation threshold of the extreme flood hazard on 37 low-order streams in the lower Stehekin River Valley on the arid eastern slope of the North Cascades. Key morphometric variables identify the magnitude of the hazard by differentiating debris flood from debris flow systems. Thirty-two debris flow systems are fed by basins?<?6 km² and deposited debris cones with slopes?>?10°. Five debris flood systems have larger drainage areas and debris fans with slopes 7–10°. The debris flood systems have Melton ruggedness ratios from 0.42–0.64 compared to 0.78–3.80 for debris flow basins. We record stratigraphy at seven sites where soil surfaces buried by successive debris flows limit the age of events spanning 6000 years. Eighteen radiocarbon ages from the soils are the basis for estimates of a 200 to1500-year range in recurrence interval for larger debris flows and a 450?±?50-year average. Smaller events occur approximately every 100 years. Fifteen debris flows occurred in nine drainage systems in the last 15 years, including multiple flows on three streams. Summer storms in 2010 and 2013 with peak rainfall intensities of 7–9 mm/h sustained for 8–11 h triggered all but one flow; the fall 2015 event on Canyon Creek occurred after 170 mm of rain in 78 h. A direct link between fires and debris flows is unclear because several recent debris flows occurred in basins that did not burn or burned at low intensity, and basins that burned at high intensity did not carry debris flows. All but one of the recent flows and fires occurred on the valley’s southwest-facing wall. We conclude that fires and debris flows are linked by aspect at the landscape scale, where the sunny valley wall has flashy runoff due to sparse vegetation from frequent fires.

     

Hydrologic conditions responsible for triggering the Sto e landslide, Slovenia

In two events, on November 15 and 17, 2000, near the Mangart Mountain (2679 m a.s.l.), NW Slovenia, two translational landslides (debris flow slides) with a total volume of more than 1.5 million m³ occurred on the Sto e slope composed of morainic material filled with silt fraction. The first landslide was associated with a dry and the second landslide with a wet debris-flow, respectively. The rain gauging station in the village of Log pod Mangartom recorded 1638.4 mm of rainfall (more than 60% of the average annual precipitation) in the 48 days before the events (rainfall intensity of 1.42 mm/h in 1152 h). The recorded rainfall depth has a recurrence interval of more than 100 years. Other recorded rainfall depths of shorter duration (481.6 mm in 7 days, 174.0 mm in 24 h, 70 mm in 1 h) have recurrence intervals of much less than 100 years. A hydrological analysis of the event showed that the increase in runoff coefficients during the wet period in autumn 2000 before the landslide was as high as two- to threefold. An analysis using natural isotopes of δ¹⁸O and tritium of water samples from the Sto e landslide area has shown permanent but slow exfiltration of underground waters from a reservoir in the slope. In the case of low-intensity and long-duration rainfall in autumn 2000, relatively low permeable (10⁻⁷ m/s) morainic material was nearly saturated but remained stable (average porosity 21%, water content 20%, liquid limit 25%) until high artesian pressures up to 100 m developed in the slope by slow exfiltration from the relatively high permeable (10⁻⁵ m/s) massive dolomite. The Sto e landslide (two debris flow slides) was triggered by high artesian pressures built in the slope after long-duration rainfall. The devastating debris-flows formed from the landslide masses by infiltration of rainfall and surface runoff into the landslide masses and by their liquefaction.     

Onshore record of Hudson River drainage to the continental shelf from the late Miocene through the late Wisconsinan deglaciation, USA: synthesis and revision

Stanford, S. D. 2009: Onshore record of Hudson River drainage to the continental shelf from the late Miocene through the late Wisconsinan deglaciation, USA: synthesis and revision. Boreas, 10.1111/j.1502‐3885.2009.00106.x. ISSN 0300‐9483. Fluvial and glacial deposits in New Jersey, Long Island, and the Hudson valley provide a record of Hudson River drainage since the late Miocene. Late Miocene fluvial deposits record southerly flow across the emerged inner New Jersey shelf. In the late Miocene–early Pliocene this drainage incised, shifted southwesterly, and discharged to the shelf south of New Jersey. During late Pliocene or Early Pleistocene glaciation, discharge to the shelf in the New York City area was established. This drainage incised and stabilized in the Early and Middle Pleistocene and remained open during pre‐Wisconsinan (Oxygen Isotope Stage 6? (OIS‐6?)) and late Wisconsinan (OIS‐2) glacial advances. During late Wisconsinan retreat, moraine deposits dammed the valley at the Narrows to form Lake Albany. From 19 to 15.5 kyr BP (all dates in ¹⁴C yr), Hudson drainage was directed eastward into the Long Island Sound lowland. Drainage of Lake Wallkill into Lake Albany at 15.5 kyr BP breached the Narrows dam and initiated the unstable phase of Lake Albany, which was controlled by eroding spillways, first on the moraine dam, then on emerged lake‐bottom in the mid‐Hudson valley. Marine incursion between 12 and 11 kyr BP limited fluvial incision of the lake bottom, stabilizing the Quaker Springs, Coveville, and upper Fort Ann spillways. Lowering sea level between 11 and 10 kyr BP allowed incision from the upper to lower Fort Ann threshold. Sediment eroded by lake outflows between 15 and 10.5 kyr BP was trapped in the glacially deepened lower valley. Little inland sediment reached the shelf after 20 kyr BP.     

Causes of catastrophic failure of Tam Pokhari moraine dam in the Mt. Everest region

The moraine dam of the Tam Pokhari glacial lake breached on 3 September 1998 and caused a catastrophic flood in the downstream areas. To learn from the event, a field survey was conducted. The survey team found that a landslide, which is considered to be responsible for the outburst flood, occurred in the northeast-facing slope of the moraine dam. The dam internal structure played a crucial role in forming a landslide that triggered the excess overflow and finally the breach of the dam. The internal structure of the dam was made of alternating layers of finer and coarser sediments inclining at 30° downstream and layers are truncated in the upslope direction by a huge pile of unconsolidated and structureless moraine materials. Since the upstream slope angle of the dam i.e., 40° is larger than the angle of repose i.e. 35° of sediments, the increased pore water pressure in the dam triggered a landslide. The rainfall and seismological activities of that particular day, which hit the record high, were crucial in triggering the failure. It is estimated that the dam’s north and northeast-facing slopes completely slid involving about 30,000 m³ of sediment mass of unconsolidated moraine materials above the shear plane. A slope stability analysis was also performed. The calculated safety factor was 0.85, and the calculated slip circle agreed with the shear plane marked in the dam. About 18 million cubic metres of water was swiftly released due to the sudden breach of the moraine dam.     

Field observations of the June 30, 2001 debris flow at Acquabona (Dolomites, Italy)

On June 30, 2001, a debris flow occurred in the Acquabona Creek, a small catchment of the Eastern Dolomites, Italy. This debris flow originated shortly after an intense rainstorm, characterised by a peak intensity of 8.6 mm per 10 min; it transported a total volume of 30,000 m³, consisting of poorly sorted gravely sand with boulders up to 3 m in diameter. The sediment erosion yield rate reached as high as 20 m³/m. In order to verify the accuracy of the field measurements, the total volume of debris deposits have was calculated using three different topographic measurement techniques: 3D laser scanning, terrestrial stereo-photogrammetry survey and total topographic station survey. Data collected so far show that no debris flow has occurred at Acquabona with a rainfall intensity lower than 4.6 mm per 10 min. Channel cross section measurements indicate that debris flow velocity ranges from 2.0 to 7.2 m/s along the lower flow channel and peak discharge ranges between 22 and 300 m³/s. Field estimates of the rheological properties indicate a yield strength ranging from 2,088 to 5,313 Pa and Bingham viscosity between 70 and 337 Pa · s. It is not still possible to identify a rainfall intensity and amount threshold for debris flow triggering, but the data so far collected emphasise that debris flows do not occur with a rainfall intensity lower than 4.6 mm per 10 min.     

A geotechnical investigation of the retrogressive Yaka Landslide and the debris flow threatening the town of Yaka (Isparta,SW Turkey)

In this study the factors affecting the retrogressive Yaka Landslide, its mechanism and the hazard of debris flow on the town of Yaka are investigated. In the landslide area, the first landslide was small and occurred in March 2006 on the lower part of the Alaard?ç Slope near the Gelendost District town of Yaka (Isparta, SW Turkey). The second, the Yaka Landslide, was large and occurred on 19 February 2007 in the soil-like marl on the central part of Alaard?ç Slope. The geometry of the failure surface was circular and the depth of the failure surface was about 3 m. Following the landslide, a 85,800 m³ of displaced material transformed to a debris flow. Then, the debris flow moved down the Eglence Valley, traveling a total distance of about 750 m. The town of Yaka is located 1,600 m downstream of Eglence Creek and hence poses a considerable risk of debris flow, should the creek be temporarily dammed as a result of further mass movement. Material from the debris accumulation has been deposited on the base of Eglence Valley and has formed a debris-dam lake behind a debris dam. Trees, agricultural areas, and weirs in the Eglence Creek have seen serious damage resulting from the debris flow. The slope angle, slope aspect and elevation of the area in this study were generated using a GIS-based digital elevation model (DEM). The stability of the Alaard?ç Slope was assessed using limit equilibrium analysis with undrained peak and residual shear strength parameters. In the stability analyses, laboratory test results performed on the soil-like marls were used. It was determined that the Alaard?ç Slope is found to be stable under dry conditions and unstable under completely saturated conditions. The Alaard?ç Slope and its vicinity is a paleolandslide area, and there the factor of safety for sliding was found to be about 1.0 under saturated conditions. The Alaard?ç Slope and the deposited earthen materials in Eglence Creek could easily be triggered into movement by any factors or combination of factors, such as prolonged or heavy rainfall, snowmelt or an earthquake. It was established that the depth of the debris flow initiated on the Yaka Landslide reached up to 8 m in Eglence Creek at the point it is 20 m wide. If this deposited material in Eglence Creek is set into motion, the canal that passes through Yaka, with its respective width and depth of 7 and 1.45 m, could not possibly discharge the flow. The destruction or spillover of this canal in Yaka could bring catastrophic loss to residents which are located within 3–5 m of the bank of the canal. Furthermore, if material present in the landslide source area slides and this displaced material puts pressure on the unstable deposited material in Eglence Creek, even more catastrophic loss would occur to the town of Yaka. In this study, it was determined that debris flows are still a major hazard to Yaka and its population of 3,000. The results provided in this study could help citizens, planners, and engineers to reduce losses caused by existing and future landslides and debris flow in rainfall and snowmelt conditions by means of prevention and mitigation.     

滇西北海巴洛沟“7·28”降雨-冰川融水混合型泥石流成因研究

海巴洛沟位于滇西北横断山区,2019年7月28日凌晨2:40暴发泥石流灾害,为科学准确开展该区域泥石流监测预警和综合防治工作,保障海巴洛沟流域中下游香丽(香格里拉至丽江)高速公路建设和运营安全,本文根据实地、无人机航拍及遥感调查,结合室内试验和分析计算,对本次泥石流特征及成因进行研究。本次泥石流平均容重为16.77 kN·m-3,属稀性泥石流,洪峰流量为528.16 m3·s-1,属特大泥石流。受地质、气候条件综合作用,海巴洛沟流域内物源包含3类:河谷区沟道侧岸滑坡体、高位冰碛物和高位寒冻风化碎屑。本次泥石流发生在27日晚至28日凌晨主体降雨过程的尾部,根据对2019年8~10月海巴洛沟流域9次降雨过程的监测,发现该区域降雨具有主体过程为6 h、降雨量随海拔升高而显著增加的时空分布特征。激发本次泥石流的强降雨集中分布在哈巴雪山西侧海拔4200~4800 m的峰脊区,6 h降雨过程平均降雨量为60.43 mm。激发水源除降雨外,还包含峰脊区内冰川融水,经计算本次6 h降雨过程中冰川平均消融水当量为17.29 mm。本文研究成果可为滇西北横断山区降雨-冰川融水混合型泥石流监测预警及防治提供可靠科学依据。     

Catastrophic debris flows triggered by a 4 July 2013 rainfall in Shimian,SW China: formation mechanism,disaster characteristics and the lessons learned

On 4 July 2013, three catastrophic debris flows occurred in the Hougou, Majingzi, and Xiongjia gullies in Shimian county and produced debris dams and river blockages, resulting in serious casualties and huge economic loss. Though debris flows have been identified prior to the catastrophic events, their magnitudes and destructive power were far beyond early recognition and hazard assessment. Our primary objective for this study was to explore the formation mechanism and typical characteristics and to summarize the lessons learned from these disastrous events in order to avoid the repeat of such disasters in the future. Based on field investigation and imagery interpretation of remote sensing carried out following the catastrophic events, four conclusions were drawn: (1) The catastrophic debris flows were initiated from surface-water runoff, and the triggering factor was attributed to the local intensive rainfall with an hourly intensity of more than 46.7 mm. (2) Entrainment was the most important sediment-supplying method for the debris flow occurrence, and the source materials transported by debris flows from the three gullies were estimated to be about 97?×?10⁴ m³ in volume altogether. (3) As surface-water runoff eroded and entrained hillslope and channel materials persistently, debris flows were characterized by intensive incision at upper or middle reaches and significant magnification effect in flow discharge and volume downstream. Corresponding peak discharge surveyed at the outlets of the Hougou, Majingzi, and Xiongjia gullies was estimated up to 751.0 m³/s, 870.1 m³/s, and 758.7 m³/s, respectively. (4) Debris flows that occurred from the three gullies all belonged to viscous ones and the bulk densities were calculated more than 1.80 g/cm³, indicating a huge carrying capacity and destructive impacting power. In addition, the lessons learned from the catastrophic events were summarized, including recognition and assessment on debris flow hazard and utilization of deposition fan. In this paper, prevention suggestions on debris flow prone valleys with high-vegetation coverage and low occurrence frequency were also put forward. The results of this study contribute to a better understanding on the initiation mechanism, dynamic characteristics, and disaster mitigation of debris flows initiated from intense rainfall and surface-water runoff in mountainous areas.     

Heavy-rainfall-induced catastrophic rockslide-debris flow at Sanxicun,Dujiangyan, after the Wenchuan Ms 8.0 earthquake

This paper uses the catastrophic rockslide at Sanxicun village in Dujianyan city as an example to investigate the formation mechanism of a rapid and long run-out rockslide-debris flow of fractured/cracked slope, under the application of a rare heavy rainfall in July 2013. The slope site could be affected by the Wenchuan Ms 8.0 Earthquake in 2008. The sliding involved the thick fractured and layered rockmass with a gentle dip plane at Sanxicun. It had the following formation process: (1) toppling due to shear failure at a high-level position, (2) shoveling the accumulative layer below, (3) forming of debris flow of the highly weathered bottom rockmass, and (4) flooding downward along valley. The debris flow destroyed 11 houses and killed 166 people. The run-out distance was about 1200 m, and the accumulative volume was 1.9?×?10⁶ m³. The rockslide can be divided into sliding source, shear-shoveling, and flow accumulative regions. The stability of this fractured rock slope and the sliding processes are discussed at four stages of cracking, creeping, separating, and residual accumulating, under the applications of hydrostatic pressure and uplift pressure. This research also investigates the safety factors under different situations. The double rheological model (F-V model) of the DAN-W software is utilized to simulate the kinematic and dynamic processes of the shear-shoveling region and debris flow. After the shear failure occurred at a high-level position of rock, the rockslide moved for approximately 47 s downward along the valley with a maximum velocity of 35 m/s. This is a typical rapid and long run-out rockslide. Finally, this paper concludes that the identification of the potential geological hazards at the Wenchuan mountain area is crucial to prevent catastrophic rockslide triggered by heavy rainfall. The identified geological hazards should be properly considered in the town planning of the reconstruction works.     

浅层滑坡诱发沟谷泥石流的地形和降雨条件

2011年贵州省望谟县打易镇的大范围浅层滑坡诱发的沟谷泥石流提供了研究这类泥石流地形和降雨条件的机会。在地质条件一致和小区域内的降雨条件基本一致的情况下,地形条件就是这些泥石流暴发与否的唯一决定因素。对比一些重要的地形因素与泥石流暴发的关系,得出了由流域面积、沟床纵比降和25°~45°山坡坡度面积比组成的泥石流综合地形因子T。在地形因子T的基础上,研究获得了由前期降雨量、1 h降雨强度、年平均降雨量等组成的降雨因子R。由地形因子T和降雨因子R获得的临界条件P可以判断该区域的泥石流暴发。由于研究工作部分基于泥石流的形成机理,研究成果还可用于其他区域的泥石流形成预测,为泥石流的预测预报提供了一个较好的方法。     

Reconstructing historical seismicity from lake sediments (Lake Laffrey, Western Alps, France)

Sediment archives from a mountain lake are used as indicators of seismotectonic activity in the Grenoble area (French western Alps, 45°N). Sedimentological analysis (texture and grain-size characteristics) exhibits several layers resulting from instantaneous deposits in Lake Laffrey: six debris flow events up to 8 cm thick can be attributed to slope failure along the western flank of the basin. Dating with ²¹⁰Pb and ¹³⁷Cs gamma counting techniques and the reconnaissance of historical events, provide a constrained age-depth model. Over the last 250 years, five of such debris flow deposits could be related to historical earthquakes of MSK intensities greater than VI over an area of <60 km. One debris flow deposit triggered at the beginning of the last century can be related to an historical landslide possibly triggered by the artificial regulation of the lake level.     

Evaluation of potential landslide damming: Case study of Urni landslide,Kinnaur, Satluj valley,India

This work aims to understand the process of potential landslide damming using slope failure mechanism,dam dimension and dam stability evaluation. The Urni landslide, situated on the right bank of the Satluj River, Himachal Pradesh(India) is taken as the case study. The Urni landslide has evolved into a complex landslide in the last two decade(2000-2016) and has dammed the Satluj River partially since year 2013,damaging ～200 m stretch of the National Highway(NH-05). The crown of the landslide exists at an altitude of ～2180-2190 m above msl, close to the Urni village that has a human population of about 500.The high resolution imagery shows ～50 m long landslide scarp and ～100 m long transverse cracks in the detached mass that implies potential for further slope failure movement. Further analysis shows that the landslide has attained an areal increase of 103,900 ± 1142 m^2 during year 2004-2016. About 86% of this areal increase occurred since year 2013. Abrupt increase in the annual mean rainfall is also observed since the year 2013. The extreme rainfall in the June, 2013; 11 June(～100 mm) and 16 June(～115 mm),are considered to be responsible for the slope failure in the Urni landslide that has partially dammed the river. The finite element modelling(FEM) based slope stability analysis revealed the shear strain in the order of 0.0-0.16 with 0.0-0.6 m total displacement in the detachment zone. Further, kinematic analysis indicated planar and wedge failure condition in the jointed rockmass. The debris flow runout simulation of the detached mass in the landslide showed a velocity of ～25 m/s with a flow height of ～15 m while it(debris flow) reaches the valley floor. Finally, it is also estimated that further slope failure may detach as much as 0.80 ±0.32 million m^3 mass that will completely dam the river to a height of 76±30 m above the river bed.     

Changing debris flow activity after sudden sediment input: a case study from the Swiss Alps

On 27 December 2011, a rock avalanche in the upper Val Bondasca in the southern Swiss Alps deposited 1.5–1.7 million m³ of rock debris. The following summer, debris flow activity in Val Bondasca was unusually high with four events after a 90‐year period of debris flow inactivity. This was an exceptional situation for the valley. Analysing the 2012 events, the long‐term record of meteorological conditions such as rainfall intensity and duration, in comparison with debris flow activity, suggests that the meteorological conditions in summer 2012 would not have triggered the high intensity debris flow events without additional sediment input. Consequently, the suddenly increased debris availability can be considered a major factor in these events. Interestingly, rainfall events of similar magnitude in the subsequent years 2013–2015 did not trigger additional debris flow events, indicating that debris flow initiation thresholds are increasing again, back towards pre‐rock avalanche levels. This study aims to help in understanding the so far poorly understood temporal evolution of debris flow triggering thresholds and the effect of sudden changes in sediment availability.     

The March 25 and 29, 2016 landslide-induced debris flow at Clapar,Banjarnegara, Central Java

The Clapar landslide induced debris flow consisted of the Clapar landslide occurred on 24 March 2017 and the Clapar debris flow occurred on 29 March 2017. The first investigation of the Clapar landslide induced debris flow was carried out two months after the disaster. It was followed by UAV mapping, extensive interviews, newspaper compilation, visual observation and field measurements, and video analysis in order to understand chronology and triggering mechanism of the landslide induced debris flow in Clapar. The 24 March 2016 landslide occurred after 5 hours of consecutive rainfall (11,2 mm) and was affected by combination of fishponds leak and infiltration of antecedent rain. After five days of the Clapar landslide, landslide partially mobilized to form debris flow where the head scarp of debris flow was located at the foot of the 24 March 2016 landslide. The Clapar debris flow occurred when there was no rainfall. It was not generated by rainstorm or the surface erosion of the river bed, but rather by water infiltration through the crack formed on the toe of the 24 March 2016 landslide. Supply of water to the marine clay deposit might have increased pore water pressure and mobilized the soil layer above. The amount of water accumulated in the temporary pond at the main body of the 24 March 2016 landslide might have also triggered the Clapar debris flow. The area of Clapar landslide still shows the possibility of further retrogression of the landslide body which may induce another debris flow. Understanding precursory factors triggering landslides and debris flows in Banjarnegara based on data from monitoring systems and laboratory experiments is essential to minimize the risk of future landslide.     

Characteristics and formation mechanism of a catastrophic rainfall–induced rock avalanche–mud flow in Sichuan, China, 2010

A catastrophic rock avalanche–mud flow was triggered by the heavy rainfall in Sichuan, China, on July 27, 2010. A mass of strongly weathered basalts with a volume of ∼480,000 m³ was initiated from a valley side slope and then moved downstream along the valley, entraining a large amount of unconsolidated substrate and bilateral materials and colluviums. The entrainment increased the volume of slide to ∼1.0 million m³ and may also enhance the mobility of the landslide. Approximately 30 min after the first failure, the deposits of the rock avalanche in the steepest part of the valley started to creep slowly down as a mud flow. It reached a small town at the foot of the slope after several hours, causing the damage of 92 houses and the urgent evacuation of 1,500 people. The field investigation, mapping, grain size test, and aerial photo interpretation were applied to analyze the dynamic process and the formation mechanism of the landslide. The strongly weathered and fragmented basalts as well as the most vulnerable combination of joint sets were revealed to be the most contributive factors. The antecedent torrential rainfall is the direct trigger, which affected the slope stability in three aspects: induced debris flow that scoured the toe of the sliding surface of rock avalanche; caused the increase of the slope unit weight, and penetrated into the steep joints reducing the strength of the materials.     

Mechanisms and runout characteristics of the rainfall-triggered debris flow in Xiaojiagou in Sichuan Province, China

The 2008 Wenchuan earthquake induced a large number of landslides, and a vast amount of loose landslide materials deposited on steep hill slopes or in channels. Such loose materials can become sources of deadly debris flows once triggered by storms. On 13 August 2010, a storm swept Yingxiu and its vicinity, triggering a catastrophic debris flow with a volume of 1.17?million?m³ in Xiaojiagou Ravine. The debris flow buried 1,100?m of road, blocked a river and formed a debris flow barrier lake. A detailed field study was conducted to understand the initiation mechanisms and runout characteristics of this debris flow. Two types of debris flows are identified, namely hill-slope debris flow and channelized debris flow. The hill-slope debris flow was triggered in the forms of firehose effect, rilling and landsliding, whereas the channelized debris flow was triggered in the form of channel-bed failure. This debris flow was a water?Crock flow since most particles were gravel, cobble or larger rocks and the fraction of silt and clay was less than 2%. Grain contact friction, pore-pressure effects and inertial grain collision were the three most important physical interactions within the debris flow. Such interactions yielded a smaller runout distance (593?m) compared with those of mud?Crock flows of similar size.     

Characteristics of debris flows from the lower part of the Lotru River basin (South Carpathians,Romania)

This paper focuses on characteristics of debris flows from the lower part of the Lotru River basin (South Carpathians, Romania). The damage produced by these debris flows has included burial of agricultural land, roads covered by debris flows, and even the obstruction of the Lotru River. Simple statistical analysis has been used to emphasize the characteristics of the debris flow sites. The collected data show that heavy rainfall is the main triggering mechanism of debris flow events in the Lotru hydrographic basin. The daily rainfall data for this region show that important debris flow events generally occur when rainfall exceeds 40 mm in 24 h, while rainfall levels between 25 and 40 mm in 24 h result in hyperconcentrated flows. For 11 of 14 studied debris flow sites, the fan area is greater than the source area, probably due to the thickness of the regolith, which is up to 5–10 m deep. Both source area and deposition area are very dynamic. The retreat rate calculated for five debris flow sites ranges from 5 to 30 m in 30 years (from 1975 to 2005). Channel cross section measurements on one of the debris flows show that velocity values vary from 1.31 to 2.64 m/s; corresponding discharge values vary from 4 to 10.03 m³/s.     

Formation and characteristics of post-earthquake debris flow: a case study from Wenjia gully in Mianzhu, Sichuan, SW China

During the three flood seasons following the Wenchuan earthquake in 2008, two catastrophic groups of debris flow events occurred in the earthquake-affected area: the 2008-9-24 debris flow events, which had a serious impact on rebuilding; and the 2010-8-13/14 debris flow events, which destroyed much of the progress made in rebuilding. The Wenjia gully is a typical post-earthquake debris flow gully and at least five debris flows have occurred there. As far as the 2010-8-13 debris flow is concerned, the deposits of the Wenjia gully debris flow reached a volume of 3.1 × 10⁶ m³ in volume and hundreds of newly built houses were buried. This study took the Wenjia gully debris flow as an example and discussed the formation and characteristics of post-earthquake debris flow on the basis of field investigations and a remote sensing interpretation. The conclusions drawn from the investigation and analysis were as follows: (1) Post-earthquake debris flows were a joint result of both the earthquake and heavy rainfall. (2) Gully incision and loose material provision are key processes in the initiation and occurrence of debris flows and a cycle can be presented as the following process: runoff—erosion—collapse—engulfment—debris flow—further erosion—further collapse—further engulfment—debris flow enlargement. (3) The amount of rainfall that triggered debris flows from the Wenjia gully was significantly less than the average daily rainfall, while the intraday rainfall threshold decreased by at least 23.3%. (4) The occurrence mechanism of Wenjia gully debris flow was an erosion type and there was a positive relationship between debris flow magnitude and rainfall, which fitted an exponential model. (5) There were five representative characteristics of Wenjia gully debris flow: the long duration of the occurring process; the long distance of deposition chain conversion during the process of damage; magnification in the scale of debris flow; and the high frequency of debris flow events.