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A catastrophic debris flow in the Wenchuan Earthquake area, July 2013: characteristics, formation, and risk reduction

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Abstract

In the Wenchuan Earthquake area, many co-seismic landslides formed blocking-dams in debris flow channels. This blocking and bursting of landslide dams amplifies the debris flow scale and results in severe catastrophes. The catastrophic debris flow that occurred in Qipan gully (Wenchuan, Southwest China) on July 11, 2013 was caused by intense rainfall and upstream cascading bursting of landslide dams. To gain an understanding of the processes of dam bursting and subsequent debris flow scale amplification effect, we attempted to estimate the bursting debris flow peak discharges along the main gully and analyzed the scale amplification process. The results showed that the antecedent and triggering rainfalls for 11 July debris flow event were 88.0 mm and 21.6 mm, respectively. The event highlights the fact that lower rainfall intensity can trigger debris flows after the earthquake. Calculations of the debris flow peak discharge showed that the peak discharges after the dams-bursting were 1.17–1.69 times greater than the upstream peak discharge. The peak discharge at the gully outlet reached 2553 m3/s which was amplified by 4.76 times in comparison with the initial peak discharge in the upstream. To mitigate debris flow disasters, a new drainage channel with a trapezoidal V-shaped cross section was proposed. The characteristic lengths (h1 and h2) under optimal hydraulic conditions were calculated as 4.50 m and 0.90 m, respectively.

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Acknowledgement

This research was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No.41572302) and the Funds for Creative Research Groups of China (Grant No. 41521002).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Geohazard Prevention and Geoenvironment Protection, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, 610059, China

    Tao Hu & Run-qiu Huang

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  1. Tao Hu
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  2. Run-qiu Huang
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Correspondence to Tao Hu.

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http://orcid.org/0000-0001-7015-3625

http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2560-4962

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Hu, T., Huang, Rq. A catastrophic debris flow in the Wenchuan Earthquake area, July 2013: characteristics, formation, and risk reduction. J. Mt. Sci. 14, 15–30 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-016-3965-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11629-016-3965-8

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