Abstract
Deep into the night of 9 June 2021, a high-intensity and short-duration rainstorm, the largest rainfall ever recorded in Zhuji, struck the entire city. The abrupt rainfall triggered several debris flows, which killed four residents and closed a highly ranked national scenic area for over three months. The debris flows, triggered by record-breaking rainfall, occurred in a rhyolite porphyry area that was not recognised as an area prone to frequent debris flow. Thus, detailed field investigations were conducted on three debris flow gullies. It was demonstrated that an extreme rainfall event, complex topographic profiles and abundant diluvium in the gullies were the main contributing factors in the disastrous damage. In particular, steep eluvial slopes with a high gradient of over 30° failed under heavy rainfall, which was one of the major factors in the initiation of debris flows. In addition, geometric properties, such as the curved travelling path, natural cliff and cross-sectional shape of the gullies, interacted significantly with the deep and lateral erosions of diluvium in the gullies, which promoted mass enlargement and the long-runout movement of the debris flows. Furthermore, reasonable countermeasures made some contribution to the reduction and mitigation of this kind of geo-disasters.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
modified from Wu, 1979)
source area: a testing ranges and b tested results of unconfined compressive strength along the depth
source area to the toe. The spliced image (a) illustrates the investigated positions of the detailed features from (b) to (p) along the gully
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Achu AL, Joseph S, Aju C, Mathai J (2021) Preliminary analysis of a catastrophic landslide event on 6 August 2020 at Pettimudi, Kerala State, India. Landslides 18:1459–1463. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-020-01598-x
Chang M, Liu Y, Zhou C, Che H (2020) Hazard assessment of a catastrophic mine waste debris flow of Hou Gully, Shimian. China Engineering Geology 275:105733. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2020.105733
Cuomo S (2020) Modelling of flowslides and debris avalanches in natural and engineered slopes: a review. Geoenvironmental Disasters 7:1. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40677-019-0133-9
Doglioni A, Casagli N, Nocentini M, Sdao F, Simeone V (2020) The landslide of Pomarico, south Italy, occurred on January 29th, 2019. Landslides 17:2137–2143. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-020-01455-x
Guo J, Yi S, Yin Y, Cui Y, Qin M, Li T, Wang C (2020) The effect of topography on landslide kinematics: a case study of the Jichang town landslide in Guizhou, China. Landslides 17:959–973. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-019-01339-9
Hotta N, Iwata T, Suzuki T, Sakai Y (2021) The effects of particle segregation on debris flow fluidity over a rigid bed. Environ Eng Geosci 27(1):139–149. https://doi.org/10.2113/EEG-D-20-00106
Igwe O, Sassa K, Wang F (2006) The influence of grading on the shear strength of loose sands in stress-controlled ring shear tests. Landslides 4:43–51. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-006-0051-2
Jeong S, Kim Y, Lee J, Kim J (2015) The 27 July 2011 debris flows at Umyeonsan, Seoul, Korea. Landslides 12:799–813. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-015-0595-0
Löbmann MT, Geitner C, Wellstein C, Zerbe S (2020) The influence of herbaceous vegetation on slope stability—a review. Earth Sci Rev 209:103328. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2020.103328
McFall B, Mohammed F, Fritz H, Liu Y (2018) Laboratory experiments on three-dimensional deformable granular landslides on planar and conical slopes. Landslides 15:1713–1730. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-018-0984-2
Peng J, Fan Z, Wu D, Zhuang J, Dai F, Chen W, Zhao C (2015) Heavy rainfall triggered loess–mudstone landslide and subsequent debris flow in Tianshui, China. Eng Geol 186:79–90. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2014.08.015
Plummer C, Carlson D, Hammersley L (2015) Physical geology (fifteenth edition). McGraw-Hill Education, United States
Samodra G, Hadmoko DS, Wicaksono GN, Adi IP, Yudinugroho M, Wibowo SB, Suryatmojo H, Purwanto TH, Widartono BS, Lavigne F (2018) The March 25 and 29, 2016 landslide-induced debris flow at Clapar, Banjarnegara, Central Java. Landslides 15:985–993. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-018-0958-4
Sassa K, Fukuoka H, Scarascia-Mugnozza G, Evans S (1996) Earthquake-induced-landslides: distribution, motion and mechanisms. Soils Found 36:53–64. https://doi.org/10.3208/sandf.36.Special_53
Setiawan H, Wilopo W, Wiyoso T, Fathani TF, Karnawati D (2019) Investigation and numerical simulation of the 22 February 2018 landslide-triggered long-traveling debris flow at Pasir Panjang Village, Brebes Regency of Central Java, Indonesia. Landslides 16:2219–2232. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-019-01245-0
Shepherd RG (1989) Correlations of permeability and grain size. Groundwater 27:633–638. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6584.1989.tb00476.x
Tanaka Y, Wang F, Nakamura K, Matsumoto T (2004) Sliding mechanism of the Yamashina flowslide triggered by continual rainfall in Kanazawa City, Japan. Proc. 15th South-East Asian Geotechnical Conference—Development in Geot. Engineering for Practice, Bangkok 1:331–336
Vergani C, Giadrossich F, Buckley P, Conedera M, Pividori M, Salbitano F, Rauch HS, Lovreglio R, Schwarz M (2017) Root reinforcement dynamics of European coppice woodlands and their effect on shallow landslides: a review. Earth Sci Rev 167:88–102. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.earscirev.2017.02.002
Wang F, Sassa K, Wang G (2002) Mechanism of a long-runout landslide triggered by the August 1998 heavy rainfall in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan. Eng Geol 63:169–185. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0013-7952(01)00080-1
Wang F, Wu Y, Yang H, Tanida Y, Kamei A (2015) Preliminary investigation of the 20 August 2014 debris flows triggered by a severe rainstorm in Hiroshima City. Japan Geoenvironmental Disasters 2:17. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40677-015-0025-6
Wang G, Sassa K, Fukuoka H (2003) Downslope volume enlargement of a debris slide–debris flow in the 1999 Hiroshima, Japan, rainstorm. Eng Geol 69:309–330. https://doi.org/10.1016/s0013-7952(02)00289-2
Wu M (1979) Regional hydrogeological survey report of Zhuji H-51-19 1/200,000. China National Geological Reference Library. https://doi.org/10.35080/n01.c.61690(inChinese)
Yang H, Wang F, Miyajima M (2015a) Investigation of shallow landslides triggered by heavy rainfall during typhoon Wipha (2013), Izu oshima Island. Japan Geoenvironmental Disasters 2:15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40677-015-0023-8
Yang H, Wang F, Vilímek V, Araiba K, Asano S (2015b) Investigation of rainfall-induced shallow landslides on the northeastern rim of Aso caldera, Japan, in July 2012. Geoenvironmental Disasters 2:20. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40677-015-0028-3
Zhao B, Zhang H, Liao H, Li W, Su L, He W, Zeng L, Qin H, Dhital MR (2021) Emergency response to the reactivated Aniangzhai landslide resulting from a rainstorm-triggered debris flow, Sichuan Province, China. Landslides 18:1115–1130. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-020-01612-2
Zheng R, Zheng Y, Cong L, Choi J, Jung H (2020) Climate adaptive design improvement strategies of traditional dwellings in southern Zhejiang for the plum rain season considering comfort conditions. Energies 13(6):1428. https://doi.org/10.3390/en13061428
Zhou G, Cui P, Tang J, Chen H, Zou Q, Sun Q (2015) Experimental study on the triggering mechanisms and kinematic properties of large debris flows in Wenjia gully. Eng Geol 194:52–61. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2014.10.021
Acknowledgements
The Hydrological Centre of Zhuji Water Resource Bureau provided the meteorological data. Mr. Ye Chen of Tongji University participated in the field investigations.
Funding
This study was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 42107170), the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (Grant No. BX2021214 and 2021M702493), the Shanghai Post-doctoral Excellence Program (Grant No. 2020423) and the Fundamental Research Funds of China for the Central Universities.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no competing interests.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Wang, F., Yan, K., Nam, K. et al. The Wuxie debris flows triggered by a record-breaking rainstorm on 10 June 2021 in Zhuji City, Zhejiang Province, China. Landslides 19, 1913–1934 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-022-01903-w
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10346-022-01903-w