Quantifying the impact of earthquakes and geological factors on spatial heterogeneity of debris-flow prone areas:A case study in the Hengduan Mountains

Understanding the spatial heterogeneity of debris-flow-prone areas holds significant implications for regional risk management, particularly in seismically active regions with geological faults. Despite the significance of this knowledge, a comprehensive quantification of the influence of regional topographical and geological factors on the spatial heterogeneity of debris-flow-prone areas has been lacking. This study selected the Hengduan Mountains, an earthquake-prone region characterized by diverse surface conditions and complex landforms, as a representative study area. An improved units zoning and objective factors identification methodology was employed in earthquake and fault analysis to assess the impact of seismic activity and geological factors on spatial heterogeneity of debrisflow prone areas. Results showed that the application of GIS technology with hydrodynamic intensity and geographical units analysis can effectively analyze debris-flow prone areas. Meanwhile, earthquake and fault zones obviously increase the density of debrisflow prone catchments and make them unevenly distributed. The number of debris-flow prone areas shows a nonlinear variation with the gradual increase of geomorphic factor value. Specifically, the area with 1000 m-2500 m elevation difference, 25°-30° average slope, and 0.13-0.15 land use index is the most favorable conditions for debris-flow occurrence;The average annual rainfall from 600 to 1150 mm and landslides gradient from 16° to 35° are the main causal factors to trigger debris flow. Our study sheds light on the quantification of spatial heterogeneity in debris flow-prone areas in earthquake-prone regions, which can offer crucial support for post-debris flow risk management strategies.

Modelling of debris-flow susceptibility and propagation: a case study from Northwest Himalaya

The geological and geographical position of the Northwest Himalayas makes it a vulnerable area for mass movements particularly landslides and debris flows. Mass movements have had a substantial impact on the study area which is extending along Karakorum Highway(KKH) from Besham to Chilas. Intense seismicity, deep gorges, steep terrain and extreme climatic events trigger multiple mountain hazards along the KKH, among which debris flow is recognized as the most destructive geohazard. This study aims to prepare a field-based debris flow inventory map at a regional scale along a 200 km stretch from Besham to Chilas. A total of 117 debris flows were identified in the field, and subsequently, a point-based debris-flow inventory and catchment delineation were performed through Arc GIS analysis. Regional scale debris flow susceptibility and propagation maps were prepared using Weighted Overlay Method(WOM) and Flow-R technique sequentially. Predisposing factors include slope, slope aspect, elevation, Topographic Roughness Index(TRI), Topographic Wetness Index(TWI), stream buffer, distance to faults, lithology rainfall, curvature, and collapsed material layer. The dataset was randomly divided into training data(75%) and validation data(25%). Results were validated through the Receiver Operator Characteristics(ROC) curve. Results show that Area Under the Curve(AUC) using WOM model is 79.2%. Flow-R propagation of debris flow shows that the 13.15%, 22.94%, and 63.91% areas are very high, high, and low susceptible to debris flow respectively. The propagation predicated by Flow-R validates the naturally occurring debris flow propagation as observed in the field surveys. The output of this research will provide valuable input to the decision makers for the site selection, designing of the prevention system, and for the protection of current infrastructure.

Physico-mechanical performance of debris-flow deposits with particular reference to characterization and recognition of debris flow-related sediments

To characterize and recognize the debris flow-related deposits,the physico-mechanical performance of four deposits from the Dongyuege(DYG),Shawa(SW),Jiangjia Gully(JJG),and Gengdi(GD)debris flows in southwest China is investigated through laboratory analyses and tests.The four debris-flow materials can all be remolded into coherent,homogeneous cylinders with high densification and strength–porosity of 25%-36%,mean pore-throat radius of 0.46-5.89μm,median pore-throat radius of 0.43-4.28μm,P-wave velocity of 800-1200 m/s,modulus of elasticity of 28-103 MPa,unconfined compressive strength(UCS)of 220-760 kPa,and cohesion of 65-281 kPa.Based on the comparison in slurryability and formability among debris-flow deposits,granular flow deposits,fluvial deposits,residual lateritic clay and loess,whether a sediment can be cast into competent cylinders for physico-mechanical tests can be regarded as a diagnostic evidence of old debris-flow deposits.The discrepancy in physico-mechanical properties among the four debris-flow deposits suggests that the combination of foregoing physico-mechanical parameters can characterize assembling characteristics of debris flow-related sediments including grain size distribution,mineralogy,and accidental detritus.Four deposited sediments above can be surprisingly classified as hard soil-soft rocks according to UCS,and the hard soil-soft rock behaviors can advance the further understanding of debris flows.

Comparison of satellite-estimated and model-forecasted rainfall data during a deadly debris-flow event in Zhouqu, Northwest China

The data of several rainfall products, including those estimated from satellite measurements and those forecasted via numerical weather modeling, for a severe debris-flow event in Zhouqu, Northwest China, are compared and analyzed in this paper. The satellite products, including CPC MORPHing technique（CMORPH）, TMPA-RT, and PERSIANN are all near-real-time retrieved with high temporal and spatial resolutions. The numerical weather model used in this paper for precipitation forecasting is WRF. The results show that all three satellite products can basically reproduce the rainfall pattern, distribution, timing, scale, and extreme values of the event, compared with gauge data. Their temporal and spatial correlation coefficients with gauge data are as high as about 0.6, which is statistically significant at 0.01 level. The performance of the forecasted results modeled with different spatial resolutions are not as good as the satellite-estimated results, although their correlation coefficients are still statistically significant at 0.05 level. From the total rainfall and extreme value time series for the domain, it is clear that, from the grid-to-grid perspective, the passive microwave-based CMORPH and TRMM products are more accurate than the infrared-based PERSIANN, while PERSIANN performs very well from the general point of view, especially when considering the whole domain or the whole convective precipitation system. The forecasted data — especially the highest resolution model domain data — are able to represent the total or mean precipitation very well in the research domain, while for extreme values the errors are large. This study suggests that satellite-retrieved and model-forecasted rainfall data are a useful complement to gauge data, especially for areas without gauge stations and areas not covered by weather radars.

Debris-flow of Zelongnong Ravine in Tibet

Zelongnong Ravine,a branch ravine of Brahmaputra,is an old large glacier debris-flow ravine.Debris-flows with medium and/or small scales occur almost every year;multiple super debris-flows have also broken out in history,and have caused destructive disaster to local residents at the mouth of ravine and blocked Brahmaputra.The huge altitude difference and the steep slope of the Zelongnong Ravine provide predominant energy conditions for the debris-flow.The drainage basin is located in the fast uplifted area,where the complicated geologic structure,the cracked rock,and the frequent earthquake make the rocks experience strong weathering,thus plenty of granular materials are available for the formation of debris-flows.Although this region is located in the rain shadow area,the precipitation is concentrated and most is with high intensity.Also,the strong glacier activity provides water source for debris-flow.According to literature reviews,most debris-flows in the ravine are induced by rainstorms,and their scales are relatively small.However,when the melted water is overlaid,the large scale debris-flows may occur.Parametric calculation such as the flow velocity and the runoff is conducted according to the monitoring data.The result shows that large debris-flows can be aroused when the rainstorm and the melted water are combined well,but the possibility of blocking off Brahmaputra is rare.The occurrence of the super debris-flows is closely related to the intense glacier activity(e.g.,glaciersurge).They often result in destructive disasters and are hard to be prevented and cured by engineering measures,due to the oversized scales.The hazard mitigation measures such as monitoring and prediction are proposed.

Numerical Investigation on the Initiation Mechanism of Debris-Flow under Rainfall

Rainfall is an important factor to trigger the debris flow.Numerical simulation on the responses of slopes and the initiation of debris flow under rainfall was processed by using the software FLAC2D based on the soil parameters in Weijia Gully,Beichuan County,Sichuan Province,China.The effects of the slope angle,rainfall intensity,soil parameters on the developments of the stress and pore pressure and deformation of the slope were studied.It indicates that large displacements of the slope are mainly located near the slope toe.With the increase of the rainfall intensity the stability of the slope decreases and so the debris-flow is easy to occur.

Modeling Experiment of Break of Debris-Flow Dam

Glaciers are extensively developed in the southwest of Tibet and the moraines are widely distributed with large depth. Large-scale debris flows are often reported which blocked rivers and formed dams. In this paper, seven large debris flows in four valleys are discussed, among which five dams developed. 13 sets of experiments have been conducted in laboratory to simulate the formation and failure of the dam. Finally, a model of dam failure is proposed and a formula is established to calculate the flood discharge： Q=kbnnk/TB^-/LG^0.1,where bk is the outlet width of the dam at the original water level, hk the erosive depth, T the time from overflow to final state of failure, the average width of lake; L the length of the lake, and G the total potential energy of the water in the lake.

Geomorphic effect of debris-flow sediments on the Min River,Wenchuan Earthquake region,western China

Coseismic landslides and subsequent mobilization of sediment greatly aggravated the landscape evolution and river sedimentation after the Wenchuan earthquake.The debris-flow alluvial fan and river morphological index was combined to describe quantitatively the effects of debris-flow sediment on the river characteristics in Longmen Mountains.The section of the Min River from the urban area of the Wenchuan county to the epicenter,the Yingxiu town in this county,was selected as the study area.We identified 27 river-blocking debrisflows(5 partial-,7 semi-,7 over semi-,and 5 fullyblocking degrees)in the study area via remote sensing interpretation and field survey.Based on this,the response of river longitudinal profile and curvature to debris-flow sediment was qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed.The results show that the channel gradient has decreased due to debris-flow aggradation,while two marked peaks in the river steepness index(ksn,represents the relative steepness degree of the channel)changed from 585 m0.9 to 732 m0.9 in zone 1,from 362 m0.9 to 513 m0.9 in zone 2.Moreover,the main channel has undergone substantial lateral migration with channel width decreased and river curvature increased.The temporal and spatial variation between river morphological characteristics and debris-flow sediments in short-term provides insights into the internal dynamic role of mass wasting processes in river morphology,which could be served as useful information for natural hazards management to prevent the river from being blocked by episodically debris flows after the earthquake.

The segmentation of debris-flow fans based on local features and spatial attention mechanism

In response to issues such as incomplete segmentation and the presence of breakpoints encountered in extracting debris-flow fans using semantic segmentation models,this paper proposes a local feature and spatial attention mechanism to achieve precise segmentation of debris-flow fans.Firstly,leveraging the spatial inhibition mechanism from neuroscience theory as a foundation,an energy function for the local feature and spatial attention mechanism is formulated.Subsequently,by employing optimization theory,a closed-form solution for the energy function is derived,which ensures the lightweight nature of the proposed attention mechanism algorithm.Finally,the performance of this algorithm is compared with other mainstream attention mechanism algorithms embedded in semantic segmentation models through comparative experiments.Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed method outperforms both the original models and mainstream attention mechanisms across various classic models,effectively enhancing the performance of network models in debris-flow fan segmentation tasks.

A GIS-Based Framework for Real-Time Debris-Flow Hazard Assessment for Expressways in Korea

Debris flows caused by heavy rainfall in mountain areas near expressways lead to severe social and economic losses and sometimes result in casualties.Therefore, the development of a real-time system for debris-flow hazard assessment is necessary to provide preliminary information for rapid decision making about evacuations or restoration measures, as well as to prevent secondary disasters caused by debris flows. Recently,various map-based approaches have been proposed using multi-attribute criteria and assessment methods for debrisflow susceptibilities. For the macrozonation of debris-flow hazard at a national scale, a simplified method such as the Korea Expressway Corporation(KEC) debris-flow hazard assessment method can be applied for systematic analysis based on geographic information systems(GIS) and monitoring networks. In this study, a GIS-based framework of real-time debris-flow hazard assessment for expressway sections is proposed based on the KEC debris-flow hazard assessment method. First, the KEC-based method was standardized in a systematic fashion using Arc GIS,enabling the objective and quantitative acquisition of various attribute datasets. The quantification of rainfall criteria also was considered. A safety management system for debris-flow hazard was developed based on the GIS platform. Finally, the method was applied and verified on three expressway sections in Korea. The grading standard for each individual influencing attribute was subsequently modified to more accurately assess the debris-flow hazards.

Rainfall,Landslide and Debris Flow Intergrowth Relationship in Jiangjia Ravine

Jiangjia Ravine is a world-famous debris flow valley in Dongchuan,Yunnan Province,China.Every year large numbers of landslides and collapses happened and caused enormous damages to people's properties and lives.With longtime observation and testing in Jiangjia Ravine we had found out one kind of special landslide which had the characteristics of landslide and collapse.Landslide and collapse supplied sufficient materials for debris flow.When a debris flow broke out,some kind of intergrowth existed among rainfall,landslide and debris flow.In order to study the intergrowth and some key parameters,we carried out artificial rainfall landslide tests and model experiments to observe the phenomena such as collapse,surface slide and surface flow.By observing the experimental phenomena and monitoring water contents,the transformation process among landslide deposits and debris flow under the condition of rainfall had been analyzed.Research results revealed the relationship of this kind of intergrowth among rainfall,landslide and debris flow in Jiangjia Ravine.Meanwhile,it was found that this kind of intergrowth relationship existed only when the moisture content was in a certain range.That is,the critical state seemed to be existed in the transformation process.

Debris Flow Dam Formation in Southeast Tibet

Glaciers with their deposits abound in the alpine areas of Southeast Tibet. Large debris flows occur frequently from these deposits and form dams that block streams. In this paper,3 events of large debris flows reported in Peilong Valley located in Southeast Tibet,and which resulted 2 blocking dams resulted,are discussed in details,focusing on the major factors controlling dam formation. The results shows that the first surge group caused by snow and ice avalanches,ice-lake breaks,and large-scale landslides,with a high peak discharge and high velocity,and an abundance of boulders,are most likely to form blocking dams.

Extreme Events Assessment Methodology Coupling Debris Flow,Flooding and Tidal Levels in the Coastal Floodplain of the Sao Paulo North Coast(Brazil)

The North Coastal Region of the State of S?o Paulo, which comprises the Municipalities of Caraguatatuba, S?o Sebasti?o, Ilhabela and Ubatuba, is one of the most prone to flooding and debris flow deposition Brazilian areas, owing to hydrological extreme rainfall events usually coupled with extreme tidal levels. This risk is also high due to human lives and material assets, with increasing population rates and the establishment of large companies such as the Oil industry, with reduced defense/prevention measures and works.The catastrophic scenario of the city of Caraguatatuba, in March 1967, resulting from one of the most serious natural disasters in Brazil, fosters discussions about probabilities of heavy rainfall-caused events and rise in the sea level in coastal areas. Hence, this research is a consequence of this reality. The research is founded on an innovative methodology based on the analysis of past data of rainfall and tidal stations, complemented with debris flow registers in the region of the north coastal zone of the State of S?o Paulo (Brazil). The anaysis developed involved the meteorological, hydraulic, geotechnical and statistical knowledge areas.Practical results are intended to be used for urban planning, designs of macro-drainage, fluvial, maritime projects and debris flow retention structures. These practical applications will then associate the probability of occurrence of certain types of heavy rainfall-caused events such as flooding or debris flow coupled with a corresponding increase in tidal levels.