Abstract
Subao River lies along the Beichuan–Yingxiu fault in Beichuan County, which has been heavily impacted by the Wenchuan earthquake on 12 May 2008 and has become sources of many geo-hazards. On 24 September 2008, a rainstorm triggered a large debris flow in the catchment, causing several deaths and significant damages. A case study on changes of the debris flow was conducted in the river. The peak discharges were calculated in the Guanmenzi, Huangnidi, and Daanshan gullies. Results indicated that the peak discharges corresponded to various return periods in different gullies: 200 years in Daanshan, 100 years in Huangnidi, and 50 years in Guanmenzi. However, the triggering precipitation in these three gullies was only of a 20-year return period. The debris flows had undergone significant changes. Analysis indicated that the changes should be ascribed to the flow characteristics, initiation conditions, and the channel blockage impacted by the rapid accumulation of loose material. Channel blockage was the principal factor increasing the scale of the debris flow. The values on the blocking coefficient were presented based on density, height, and other characteristics of dams. Finally, all of the peak debris flow discharges of the Subao River Valley for a 20-year return period were calculated using the recommended blocking coefficient values.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Chen SF, Wilson CJL (1996) Emplacement of the Longmen Shan Thrust-Nappe Belt along the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau. J Struct Geol 18(4):413–430
Chen XQ, Cui P, Cheng ZL, You Y, Zhang XG, He SM, Dang C (2008) Emergency risk assessment of dammed lakes caused by the Wenchuan earthquake on May 12, 2008. Earth Sci Front 15(4):244–249
Cui P, Wei FQ, He SM, You Y, Chen XQ, Li ZL, Dang C, Yang CL (2008) Mountain disasters induced by the Earthquake of May 12 in Wenchuan and the disasters mitigation. J Mt Sci 26(3):280–282
Cui P, Chen XQ, Zhu YY, Su FH, Wei FQ, Han YS, Liu HJ, Zhuang JQ (2009) The Wenchuan earthquake (May 12, 2008), Sichuan Province, China, and resulting geohazards. Nat Hazards. doi:10.1007/s11069-009-9392-1
Densmore AL, Ellis MA, Li Y, Zhou RJ, Hancock GS, Richardson N (2007) Active tectonics of the Beichuan and Pengguan faults at the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau. Tectonics. doi:10.1029/2006TC001987
Fei XJ, Shu AP (2004) Movement mechanism and disaster control for debris flow. Tsinghua University Press, Beijing
Huang RQ, Li WL (2008) Research on development, distribution rules of geohazards induced by Wenchuan earthquake on 12th May, 2008. Chin J Rock Mech Eng 27(12):2585–2592
Jin WZ, Tang LJ, Yang KM, Wan GM, Lu ZZ (2008) Progress and problem of study on characters of the Longmen Mountain thrust belt. Geol Rev 54(1):37–46
Lin MB (2008) The huge Wenchuan earthquake and Longmen tectonic belt. J Chengdu Univ Technol (Sci Technol Ed) 35(4):366–370
Lin CW, Shieh CL, Yuan BD, Shieh YC, Liu SH, Lee SY (2003) Impact of Chi-Chi earthquake on the occurrence of landslides and debris flows: example from the Chenyulan River watershed, Nantou, Taiwan. Eng Geol 71:49–61
Luo ZL, Yong ZQ, Liu SG, Sun W, Deng B, Yang RJ, Zhang QL, Dai HS (2008) Relationship between C-subduction and the Wenchuan earthquake and suggestions on preventing earthquakes and mitigating disasters. J Chengdu Univ Technol (Sci Technol Ed) 35(4):337–347
Shieh CL, Chen YS, Tsai YJ, Wu JH (2009) Variability in rainfall threshold for debris flow after the Chi-chi earthquake in central Taiwan, China. Int J Sediment Res 24(2):177–188
Tang C, Liang JT (2008) Characteristics of debris flows in Beichuan epicenter of the Wenchuan earthquake triggered by rainstorm on September 24, 2008. J Eng Geol 16(6):751–758
Wang T, Ma YS, Long CX, Tan CX, Wu SR (2008) Fault activity of the Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan, China and seismic secondary geohazards. Geol Bull China 27(11):1913–1922
Wu JS, Tian LQ, Kang ZC (1993) Debris flow and its comprehensive treatment. Science Press, Beijing
Xie H, Zhong DL, Jiao Z, Zhang JS (2009) Debris flow in Wenchuan quake-hit area in 2008. J Mt Sci 27(4):501–509
Xu XW, Wen XZ, Ye JQ, Ma BQ, Chen J (2008) The Ms8.0 Wenchuan earthquake surface ruptures and its seismogenic structure. Seismol Geol 30(3):597–629
Yin YP (2008) Researches on the geo-hazards triggered by Wenchuan earthquake, Sichuan. J Eng Geol 16(4):433–444
You Y, Liu JF, Chen XC (2010) Debris flow and its characteristics of Subao River in Beichuan County after “5.12” Wenchuan earthquake. J Mt Sci 28(3):358–366
Zhou BF, Li DJ, Luo DF (1991) Guideline for debris flow prevention and control. Science Press, Beijing
Acknowledgments
This research work was financially supported by Major State Basic Research Development Program (2008CB425803), Project Group of Knowledge Innovation Program of CAS (KZCX2-YW-Q03-5) and Doctoral Fund of Southwest University of Science and Technology (10zx7129). The manuscript benefited greatly from constructive comments by Professor Li Yong and an anonymous reviewer.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Chen, X., Cui, P., You, Y. et al. Post-earthquake changes and prediction of debris flow scales in Subao River Valley, Beichuan County, Sichuan Province, China. Environ Earth Sci 65, 995–1003 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-011-0949-4
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-011-0949-4