On the Use of Seismic Detectors as Monitoring and Warning Systems for Debris Flows

Debris flows constitute a major threat forseveral urban settlements located on the fans ofmountain catchments and for other infrastructures thatinteract with these fans, particularly highways andmotorways. Often structural measures such as theconstruction and maintenance of deposition basins,check dams, channel linings are both too expensive andnot capable of completely guaranteeing the safety forinhabitants of villages and users of infrastructuresaffected by debris flows. Therefore the search offunctional, reliable and possibly not expensivewarning systems should be pursued to increase theavailable tools to face this often devastating kind ofphenomenon. In this paper the use of seismic detectorsfor the determination of a debris flow occurrence ina torrent before its arrival on the fan will bediscussed, together with their potential use asmonitoring and warning systems. In 1995 a set of fourseismic detectors was placed at a distance of aboutone hundred meters from each other along a straightchannel reach of a debris flow prone torrent locatedon the Eastern Italian Alps. The purpose, in a firstphase of the research, was mainly to verify whichinformation could be obtained through this type ofdevice on the occasion of a debris flow occurrence. On5 July 1995, 22 June and 8 July 1996 three debrisflows were recorded by this seismic network: the datathat have been collected will be presented andconveniently processed for their interpretation. Theresults that have been obtained show that the passageof a debris flow in a torrent can be clearlyidentified using seismic devices placed at a safedistance from the channel bed and that in some casesa velocity estimation of the flowing mass is alsopossible through the processing of the seismic data.     

The use of the automatic inclinometric system for landslide early warning: the case of Cabella Ligure (North-Western Italy)

Following the flood events occurred in the 1993 autumn, a landslide affecting the village of Montaldo di Cosola was reactivated. Montaldo di Cosola is a small village located in North-Western Italy, on the Appennines Mountains. Historical data report of at least another similar episode occurred about one century ago.The landslide takes place over debris deposits, which are about 20–35 m deep, produced by an ancient landslide event. Underneath these debris deposits there is an altered layer of the calcareous-marly substratum of the Antola formation. The landslide, almost certainly triggered by the incision of the torrent Rio Montaldo, has a probable rotational geometry and takes place through slow and progressive continuous movements. The landslide typology impedes a precise dimensional definition. Only the order of magnitude of the main scarp width, which is of hundreds of meters, and the order of magnitude of the landslide volume, which is of some hundreds of thousands of cubic meters, can be indicated.A complex monitoring network has been installed in the area. This network includes an automatic inclinometric system (AIS) that automatically performs measurements, twice a day, along the entire length of a pipe that is 45 m deep. Measurements are taken every 50 cm and are then broadcasted to a remote station located in Torino.After the exceptional meteorological events occurred in October 2000, the AIS measured significant movements that have not yet stopped. On the basis of these available data it has been possible to locate the sliding surface at a depth of about 13 m at the level of a sandy–silty layer with some clay lenses inside. The movements measurements performed so far reveal a good correlation with the rainfalls. In particular it has been possible to identify a time lag of about 8–9 days between the occurrence of a rainfall peak and the corresponding peak in the recorded movements that were produced by these rainfalls.     

A new monitoring station for debris flows in the European Alps: first observations in the Gadria basin

Debris-flow monitoring in instrumented areas is an invaluable way to gather field data that may improve the understanding of these hazardous phenomena. A new experimental site has been equipped in the Autonomous Province of Bozen-Bolzano (Eastern Alps, Italy) for both monitoring purposes and testing early warning systems. The study site (Gadria basin) is a 6.3 km² catchment subjected to frequent debris flows. The monitoring system in the Gadria basin consists of rain gauges, radar sensors, geophones, video cameras, piezometers and soil moisture probes. Transmission of data and alerts from the instruments exploits in part radio technology. The paper presents the data gathered during the first three years of activity, with two debris-flow events recorded at the station varying in magnitude and characteristics, and discusses the perspectives of debris-flow monitoring and related research.