scholarly journals The debris flow hazard in the Lagarelle Creek in the eastern Umbria region, central Italy

2005 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 275-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Conversini ◽  
D. Salciarini ◽  
G. Felicioni ◽  
A. Boscherini
Keyword(s):  
Debris Flow ◽  
Debris Flows ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Field Surveys ◽  
Creek Watershed ◽  
Empirical Relations ◽  
Umbria Region ◽  
High Hazard ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Steep Slopes

Abstract. This paper analyzes the Lagarelle Creek watershed, situated in the Municipality of Vallo di Nera, in the eastern Umbria region, central Italy. In this part of the Region, narrow valleys and very steep slopes characterize the morphology of the Appennine ridge. The presence of strongly-tectonized rocky masses, subdivided by several joint systems, is the main cause for the formation of sorted debris deposits, which accumulate mainly along the topographic convergences. This determines the conditions for possible events of debris flows. According to previous studies, the basin of the Lagarelle Creek, has been classified as an area prone to a high hazard of debris flows (Regione dell'Umbria – C.N.R. I.R.P.I., 1996). For this reason, systematic studies have been carried out on the whole watershed which, in this first phase, have examined the definition of the geological and morphological features of the zone, by means of the acquisition of cartographies and of field surveys, and the elaboration of the topographical data of the basin, by means of a digital model of the terrain. Once the potential triggering areas of debris flows were identified, an assessment of the mobilizable volumes possibly involved in a debris flow event was carried out. To perform such an assessment both the geomorphologic method proposed by Hungr (Hungr et al., 1984) and the empirical relations calibrated on debris flow events of the alpine arc were applied. The results obtained were compared with those derived from information supplied by the inhabitants of the small mountain village, who have described in detail the most important events of the last century.

scholarly journals Glacial Lake Inventory and Lake Outburst Flood/Debris Flow Hazard Assessment after the Gorkha Earthquake in the Bhote Koshi Basin

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 464 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mei Liu ◽  
Ningsheng Chen ◽  
Yong Zhang ◽  
Mingfeng Deng
Keyword(s):  
Debris Flow ◽  
Hazard Assessment ◽  
Debris Flows ◽  
Glacial Lake ◽  
Glacial Lakes ◽  
Gorkha Earthquake ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Outburst Floods ◽  
High Hazard ◽  
Koshi Basin

Glacial lake outburst floods (GLOF) evolve into debris flows by erosion and sediment entrainment while propagating down a valley, which highly increases peak discharge and volume and causes destructive damage downstream. This study focuses on GLOF hazard assessment in the Bhote Koshi Basin (BKB), where was highly developed glacial lakes and was intensely affected by the Gorkha earthquake. A new 2016 glacial lake inventory was established, and six unreported GLOF events were identified with geomorphic outburst evidence from GaoFen-1 satellite images and Google Earth. A new method was proposed to assess GLOF hazard, in which large numbers of landslides triggered by earthquake were considered to enter into outburst floods enlarge the discharge and volume of debris flow in the downstream. Four GLOF hazard classes were derived according to glacial lake outburst potential and a flow magnitude assessment matrix, in which 11 glacial lakes were identified to have very high hazard and 24 to have high hazard. The GLOF hazard in BKB increased after the earthquake due to landslide deposits, which increased by 216.03 × 106 m3, and provides abundant deposits for outburst floods to evolve into debris flows. We suggest that in regional GLOF hazard assessment, small glacial lakes should not be overlooked for landslide deposit entrainment along a flood route that would increase the peak discharge, especially in earthquake-affected areas where large numbers of landslides were triggered.

scholarly journals A simple and feasible process for using multi-stage high-precision DTMs, field surveys and rainfall data to study debris flow occurrence factors of Shenmu area, Taiwan

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 3407-3419 ◽  
Author(s):  
W.-C. Lo ◽  
B.-S. Lin ◽  
H.-C. Ho ◽  
J. Keck ◽  
H.-Y. Yin ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Debris Flow ◽  
High Precision ◽  
Debris Flows ◽  
Airborne Lidar ◽  
Rainfall Characteristics ◽  
Field Surveys ◽  
Sensing Technology ◽  
Multi Stage ◽  
Catchment Areas ◽  
Typhoon Herb

Abstract. The occurrence of typhoon Herb in 1996 caused massive landslides in the Shenmu area of Taiwan. Many people died and stream and river beds were covered by meters of debris. Debris flows almost always take place in the Shenmu area during the flood season, especially in the catchment areas around Tsushui river and Aiyuzih river. Anthropogenic and natural factors that cause debris flow occurrences are complex and numerous. The precise conditions of initiation are difficult to be identified, but three factors are generally considered to be the most important ones, i.e. rainfall characteristics, geologic conditions and topography. This study proposes a simple and feasible process that combines remote sensing technology and multi-stage high-precision DTMs from aerial orthoimages and airborne LiDAR with field surveys to establish a connection between three major occurrence factors that trigger debris flows in the Shenmu area.

scholarly journals Rockfall and Debris Flow Hazard Assessment in the SW Escarpment of Montagna del Morrone Ridge (Abruzzo, Central Italy)

Water ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 1206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monia Calista ◽  
Valeria Menna ◽  
Vania Mancinelli ◽  
Nicola Sciarra ◽  
Enrico Miccadei
Keyword(s):  
Debris Flow ◽  
Hazard Assessment ◽  
Debris Flows ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Territorial Planning ◽  
Effective Activity ◽  
Modeling Software ◽  
Gravitational Processes ◽  
Landslide Distribution ◽  
Debris Flow Hazard

The purpose of this research is to estimate the rockfall and debris flow hazard assessment of the SW escarpment of the Montagna del Morrone (Abruzzo, Central Italy). The study investigated the geomorphology of the escarpment, focusing on the type and distribution of the present landforms. Particular attention was devoted to the slope gravity landforms widely developed in this area, where the effective activity of the gravitational processes is mainly related to the rockfall and debris flows and documented by numerous landslides over time. Working from orography, hydrography, lithology, and geomorphology, the landslide distribution and their potential invasion areas were evaluated through two specific numerical modeling software. RAMMS and Rockyfor3D calculation codes were used in order to analyze the debris flow and rockfall type of landslides, respectively. The obtained results are of great interest when evaluating the hazard assessment in relation to the potential landslides. Moreover, the geographic information systems (GIS) provide a new geomorphological zonation mapping, with the identification of the detachment and certain and/or possible invasion areas of the landslide blocks. This method provides an effective tool to support the correct territorial planning and the management of the infrastructural settlements present in the area and human safety.

scholarly journals Rainstorm Magnitude and Debris Flows in Pyroclastic Deposits Covering Steep Slopes of Karst Reliefs in San Martino Valle Caudina (Campania, Southern Italy)

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (16) ◽  
pp. 2274
Author(s):  
Guido Leone ◽  
Pasquale Clemente ◽  
Libera Esposito ◽  
Francesco Fiorillo
Keyword(s):  
Time Series ◽  
Debris Flow ◽  
Debris Flows ◽  
Southern Italy ◽  
Distribution Functions ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Standard Normal Distribution ◽  
Relative Significance ◽  
Campania Region ◽  
Steep Slopes

Debris flows that have occurred in the area of San Martino Valle Caudina (Campania, Southern Italy) are described by geomorphological and hydrological analyses, focusing on the recent event of December 2019. This area can be considered a key example for studying debris-flow phenomena involving the pyroclastic mantle that covers the karstified bedrock along steep slopes. A hydrological analysis of the time series of the maximum annual rainfall, of durations of 1, 3, 6, 12 and 24 h, was carried out based on a new approach to assess rainstorm magnitude. It was quantified by measuring the deviation of the rainfall intensity from the normal conditions, within a specified time period. As the time series of annual maxima are typically skewed, a preliminary transformation is needed to normalize the distribution; to obtain the Z-value of the standard normal distribution, with mean µ = 0 and standard deviation σ = 1, different probability distribution functions were fitted to the actual data. A specific boxplot was used, with box width Z = ±1 and whiskers length Z = ±2. The deviations from these values provide the performance of the distribution fits. For the normalized time series, the rates shown by the trends and relative significance were investigated for the available time series of 11 rain gauges covering the Western–Central Campania region. The most critical condition for the debris-flow initiation appears to occur when a severe or extreme rainfall has a duration ≥ 12 h. The trend analysis did not detect statistically significant increases in the intensity of the rainfall of duration ≥ 6 h.

Late Holocene geomorphic record of fire in ponderosa pine and mixed-conifer forests, Kendrick Mountain, northern Arizona, USA

2011 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara E. Jenkins ◽  
Carolyn Hull Sieg ◽  
Diana E. Anderson ◽  
Darrell S. Kaufman ◽  
Philip A. Pearthree
Keyword(s):  
Debris Flow ◽  
Ponderosa Pine ◽  
Debris Flows ◽  
Late Holocene ◽  
Conifer Forests ◽  
Fire Behaviour ◽  
Mixed Conifer ◽  
Northern Arizona ◽  
Mixed Conifer Forests ◽  
Steep Slopes

Long-term fire history reconstructions enhance our understanding of fire behaviour and associated geomorphic hazards in forested ecosystems. We used 14C ages on charcoal from fire-induced debris-flow deposits to date prehistoric fires on Kendrick Mountain, northern Arizona, USA. Fire-related debris-flow sedimentation dominates Holocene fan deposition in the study area. Radiocarbon ages indicate that stand-replacing fire has been an important phenomenon in late Holocene ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) and ponderosa pine–mixed conifer forests on steep slopes. Fires have occurred on centennial scales during this period, although temporal hiatuses between recorded fires vary widely and appear to have decreased during the past 2000 years. Steep slopes and complex terrain may be responsible for localised crown fire behaviour through preheating by vertical fuel arrangement and accumulation of excessive fuels. Holocene wildfire-induced debris flow events occurred without a clear relationship to regional climatic shifts (decadal to millennial), suggesting that interannual moisture variability may determine fire year. Fire-debris flow sequences are recorded when (1) sufficient time has passed (centuries) to accumulate fuels; and (2) stored sediment is available to support debris flows. The frequency of reconstructed debris flows should be considered a minimum for severe events in the study area, as fuel production may outpace sediment storage.

Similarities and contrasts between the subaerial and subaqueous deposits of subaerially triggered debris flows: An analogue experimental study

2020 ◽  
Vol 90 (9) ◽  
pp. 1128-1138
Author(s):  
Tjalling de Haas ◽  
Nikoleta Santa ◽  
Sjoukje I. de Lange ◽  
Shiva P. Pudasaini
Keyword(s):  
Debris Flow ◽  
Water Body ◽  
Debris Flows ◽  
Coarse Grained ◽  
Flow Volume ◽  
Reservoir Water ◽  
Inundation Area ◽  
Water And Sediment ◽  
Empirical Relations ◽  
Impulse Waves

ABSTRACT Debris flows and lahars are dense masses of water and sediment which are common phenomena in mountainous and volcanic regions, respectively. Where these flows debouch into water bodies they can trigger impulse waves (tsunamis) and form subaqueous deposits. Such deposits are important indicators for areas at risk from debris flows, lahars, and tsunamis and form archives of past environmental conditions. Correctly interpreting this archive, however, depends on our understanding of the sedimentology and architecture of the deposits. While subaerial debris-flow deposits have been extensively studied, there is a comparative lack of understanding of the deposits of subaerial debris flows that debouch into a water body. We experimentally investigate the similarities and contrasts between subaerial and subaqueous debris-flow deposits for flows of various magnitudes and compositions initiated in a subaerial environment. We show that flows depositing on a subaqueous plane generally have a deposit area similar to flows forming in a subaerial setting. Deposits forming on a subaqueous plane, however, are typically shorter and wider with similar thickness, as a result of interactions between the flow and the reservoir water body. Both in subaerial and subaqueous environments the deposits form coarse-grained lateral levees and frontal snout margins. However, where the levees are able to laterally confine the subaerial flows leading to deposits with constant to tapering width, the subaqueous deposits widen with distance offshore because of flow fluidization. Moreover, the frontal snout is often very dispersed, a sharp frontal margin is absent, and many isolated particles are deposited in front of the main deposit margin as a result of interactions between the debris flow and the reservoir water body. These results largely agree with observations of subaqueous pyroclastic-flow deposits. The similarity in area of subaerial and subaqueous deposits suggests that we can apply empirical relations based on subaerial flows to estimate the inundation area and flow volume of subaerial–subaqueous flows.

scholarly journals Environmental evolution, faunal and human occupation since 2 Ma in the Anagni basin, central Italy

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Fabio Florindo ◽  
Fabrizio Marra ◽  
Diego E. Angelucci ◽  
Italo Biddittu ◽  
Luciano Bruni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Central Italy ◽  
Time Frame ◽  
Archaeological Sites ◽  
Time Interval ◽  
Human Occupation ◽  
Environmental Evolution ◽  
Entire Interval ◽  
Field Surveys ◽  
Sedimentary Succession ◽  
Favorable Conditions

AbstractWe present the study of a composite, yet continuous sedimentary succession covering the time interval spanning 2.6–0.36 Ma in the intramontane basin of Anagni (central Italy) through a dedicated borecore, field surveys, and the review of previous data at the three palaeontological and archaeological sites of Colle Marino, Coste San Giacomo and Fontana Ranuccio. By combining the magneto- and chronostratigraphic data with sedimentologic and biostratigraphic analysis, we describe the palaeogeographic and tectonic evolution of this region during this entire interval. In this time frame, starting from 0.8 Ma, the progressive shallowing and temporary emersion of the large lacustrine basins and alluvial plains created favorable conditions for early hominin occupation of the area, as attested by abundant tool industry occurrences and fossils. This study provides new constraints to better interpret the hominin migratory dynamics and the factors that influenced the location and spatial distribution during the early occupation of this region.

scholarly journals The Impact of Probability Density Functions Assessment on Model Performance for Slope Stability Analysis

Geosciences ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 322
Author(s):  
Evelina Volpe ◽  
Luca Ciabatta ◽  
Diana Salciarini ◽  
Stefania Camici ◽  
Elisabetta Cattoni ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Probability Density ◽  
Central Italy ◽  
Model Performance ◽  
Probability Density Functions ◽  
Slope Instability ◽  
Complex Nature ◽  
Density Functions ◽  
Umbria Region ◽  
Input Variables ◽  
The Impact

The development of forecasting models for the evaluation of potential slope instability after rainfall events represents an important issue for the scientific community. This topic has received considerable impetus due to the climate change effect on territories, as several studies demonstrate that an increase in global warming can significantly influence the landslide activity and stability conditions of natural and artificial slopes. A consolidated approach in evaluating rainfall-induced landslide hazard is based on the integration of rainfall forecasts and physically based (PB) predictive models through deterministic laws. However, considering the complex nature of the processes and the high variability of the random quantities involved, probabilistic approaches are recommended in order to obtain reliable predictions. A crucial aspect of the stochastic approach is represented by the definition of appropriate probability density functions (pdfs) to model the uncertainty of the input variables as this may have an important effect on the evaluation of the probability of failure (PoF). The role of the pdf definition on reliability analysis is discussed through a comparison of PoF maps generated using Monte Carlo (MC) simulations performed over a study area located in the Umbria region of central Italy. The study revealed that the use of uniform pdfs for the random input variables, often considered when a detailed geotechnical characterization for the soil is not available, could be inappropriate.

scholarly journals Learning Case Study of a Shallow-Water Model to Assess an Early-Warning System for Fast Alpine Muddy-Debris-Flow

Water ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 750
Author(s):  
Antonio Pasculli ◽  
Jacopo Cinosi ◽  
Laura Turconi ◽  
Nicola Sciarra
Keyword(s):  
Debris Flow ◽  
Shallow Water ◽  
Early Warning ◽  
Debris Flows ◽  
Early Warning System ◽  
Warning System ◽  
Extreme Weather Events ◽  
Water Model ◽  
Computational Time ◽  
Processing Unit

The current climate change could lead to an intensification of extreme weather events, such as sudden floods and fast flowing debris flows. Accordingly, the availability of an early-warning device system, based on hydrological data and on both accurate and very fast running mathematical-numerical models, would be not only desirable, but also necessary in areas of particular hazard. To this purpose, the 2D Riemann–Godunov shallow-water approach, solved in parallel on a Graphical-Processing-Unit (GPU) (able to drastically reduce calculation time) and implemented with the RiverFlow2D code (version 2017), was selected as a possible tool to be applied within the Alpine contexts. Moreover, it was also necessary to identify a prototype of an actual rainfall monitoring network and an actual debris-flow event, beside the acquisition of an accurate numerical description of the topography. The Marderello’s basin (Alps, Turin, Italy), described by a 5 × 5 m Digital Terrain Model (DTM), equipped with five rain-gauges and one hydrometer and the muddy debris flow event that was monitored on 22 July 2016, were identified as a typical test case, well representative of mountain contexts and the phenomena under study. Several parametric analyses, also including selected infiltration modelling, were carried out in order to individuate the best numerical values fitting the measured data. Different rheological options, such as Coulomb-Turbulent-Yield and others, were tested. Moreover, some useful general suggestions, regarding the improvement of the adopted mathematical modelling, were acquired. The rapidity of the computational time due to the application of the GPU and the comparison between experimental data and numerical results, regarding both the arrival time and the height of the debris wave, clearly show that the selected approaches and methodology can be considered suitable and accurate tools to be included in an early-warning system, based at least on simple acoustic and/or light alarms that can allow rapid evacuation, for fast flowing debris flows.

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