National flood discharge mapping in Austria

This article presents the approach and the results of a study in which 30, 100 and 200 year return period flood discharges were estimated for 26,000 km of Austrian streams. Three guiding principles were adopted: combination of automatic methods and manual assessments by hydrologists to allow speedy processing and account for the local hydrological situation; combination of various sources of information including flood peak samples, rainfall data, runoff coefficients and historical flood data; and involvement of the Hydrographic Services to increase the accuracy and enhance the acceptance of results. The flood discharges for ungauged catchments were estimated by the Top-kriging approach with manual adjustment to the local flood characteristics. The adopted combination approach proved to be very efficient both in terms of the project time required and in terms of the accuracy and acceptability of the estimated flood discharges of given return periods.     

Analysis of the 2003 Varunawat Landslide,Uttarkashi, India using Earth Observation data

Mass movements such as landslides in mountainous terrains are natural degradation processes and one of the most important landscape-building factors. Varunawat Parbat overlooking Uttarkashi town witnessed a series of landslides on 23 September 2003 and the debris slides and rock falls continued for 2 weeks. This landslide complex was triggered due to the incessant rainfall prior to the event, and its occurrence led to the blockage of the pilgrim route to Gangotri (source of the Ganges river) and evacuation of thousands of people to safer places. Though there was no loss of lives due to timely evacuation, heavy losses to the property were reported. High-resolution stereoscopic earth observation data were acquired after the incidence to study the landslide in detail with emphasis on the cause of the landslide and mode of failure. Areas along the road and below the Varunawat foothill region are mapped for landslide risk. It was found that the foothill region of the Varunawat Parbat was highly disturbed by man-made activities and houses are dangerously located below steep slopes. The potential zones for landslides along with the existing active and old landslides are mapped. These areas are critical and their treatment with priority is required in order to minimise further landslide occurrences.     

DEFORMATION OF SEISMIC WAVELETS BY THIN LAYERS AND LAYERED BOUNDARIES*

Using plane wave theory and assuming a given input wavelet the shape of the reflected (or transmitted) wavelet from a layered boundary is derived. Several types of boundaries are considered, among them the weathered layer and a wedge shaped intermediate layer. Different angles of incidence and all internal multiples are taken into account. The examples shown in the figures can be used for a direct comparison between theoretical and observed shapes of reflected (or transmitted) wavelets from special boundaries.     

THE LAUSANNE CONGRESS

The International Society for Photogrammetry held the Xlth International Congress at Lausanne during July 1968. The authors review the activities of five of the seven I.S.P. Commissions.     

PHOTOGRAMMETRIC MEASUREMENTS OF GLACIAL LANDFORMS

Photogrammetric methods using sequential aerial photography can provide the geomorphologist with comparative measurements of rapidly changing glacial landforms. Examples are given of eskers, kame and kettle areas, an ice-dammed lake and coastal features in south-east Iceland.     

Redistriution of Major Elements in the Alteration of Some Basic Lavas during Burial Metamorphism

An Ordovician geanticlinal marine sequence is exposed in theCentral West of New South Wales, Australia. The sequence containingbasic lavas, labile sedimentary, and proclastic rocks, has undergoneextensive adjustment during regional burial metamorphism. Thebasic lavas have a patchy coloration due to the formation ofalternation minerals of the prehnite-pumpellyite facies whichapperar to have formed during the metamorphism. The hererogeneousappearance of the basic lavas reflects a pronouced chemicaland mineralogical departure from the original composition. Twodiverging trends result. One leads to the production of a Ca-enrichedlithology, the other, which by far dominates in area at eachouterop, leads to a ‘spilitic’ lithology. The alterationdomains in many cases cross–cut all primary textural featureand their chemical variation does not correspond to likely variationsin the original lava composition.