Geology topics

Jason W. Kean

Publications and source records attributed to Jason W. Kean.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

USGS2020

Measuring basal force fluctuations of debris flows using seismic recordings and empirical green's functions

We present a novel method for measuring the fluctuating basal normal and shear stresses of debris flows by using along‐channel seismic recordings. Our method couples a simple parameterization of a debris flow as a seismic source with direct measurements of seismic path effects using empirical Green's functions generated with a force hammer. We test this method using two large‐scale (8 and 10 m 3 ) experimental flows at the U.S. Geological Survey debris‐flow flume that were recorded by dozens of three‐component seismic sensors. The seismically derived basal stress fluctuations compare well in amplitude and timing to independent force plate measurements within the valid frequency range (15–50 Hz). We show that although the high‐frequency seismic signals provide band‐limited forcing information, there are systematic relations between the fluctuating stresses and independently measured flow properties, especially mean basal shear stress and flow thickness. However, none of the relationships are simple, and since the flow properties also correlate with one another, we cannot isolate a single factor that relates in a simple way to the fluctuating forces. Nevertheless, our observations, most notably the gradually declining ratio of fluctuating to mean basal stresses during flow passage and the distinctive behavior of the coarse, unsaturated flow front, imply that flow style may be a primary control on the conversion of translational to vibrational kinetic energy. This conversion ultimately controls the radiation of high‐frequency seismic waves. Thus, flow style may provide the key to revealing the nature of the relationship between fluctuating forces and other flow properties.

Journal of Geophysical Research Earth Surface↗

USGS2020

Landslides after wildfire: Initiation, magnitude, and mobility

In the semiarid Southwestern USA, wildfires are commonly followed by runoff-generated debris flows because wildfires remove vegetation and ground cover, which reduces soil infiltration capacity and increases soil erodibility. At a study site in Southern California, we initially observed runoff-generated debris flows in the first year following fire. However, at the same site three years after the fire, the mass-wasting response to a long-duration rainstorm with high rainfall intensity peaks was shallow landsliding rather than runoff-generated debris flows. Moreover, the same storm caused landslides on unburned hillslopes as well as on slopes burned 5 years prior to the storm and areas burned by successive wildfires, 10 years and 3 years before the rainstorm. The landslide density was the highest on the hillslopes that had burned 3 years beforehand, and the hillslopes burned 5 years prior to the storm had low landslide densities, similar to unburned areas. We also found that reburning (i.e., two wildfires within the past 10 years) had little influence on landslide density. Our results indicate that landscape susceptibility to shallow landslides might return to that of unburned conditions after as little as 5 years of vegetation recovery. Moreover, most of the landslide activity was on steep, equatorial-facing slopes that receive higher solar radiation and had slower rates of vegetation regrowth, which further implicates vegetation as a controlling factor on post-fire landslide susceptibility. Finally, the total volume of sediment mobilized by the year 3 landslides was much smaller than the year 1 runoff-generated debris flows, and the landslides were orders of magnitude less mobile than the runoff-generated debris flows.

California↗

USGS2020

The impact of sediment supply on the initiation and magnitude of runoff-generated debris flows

Rainfall intensity‐duration (ID) thresholds are commonly used to assess the potential for runoff‐generated debris flows, but the sensitivity of these thresholds to sediment supply, which can change rapidly with time, is relatively unexplored. Furthermore, debris flows often self‐organize into distinct surges, but the factors controlling the magnitude and frequency of these surges, including sediment supply and grain size, are poorly constrained. We use a combination of numerical modeling and debris flow monitoring data from Chalk Cliffs, Colorado, USA, to explore how sediment supply influences rainfall ID thresholds for debris flows and surge properties. Results suggest that rainfall ID thresholds only become sensitive to sediment supply below a sediment thickness threshold. Surge magnitude is a nonmonotonic function of sediment supply (i.e., channel bed sediment thickness and grain size) with the largest surges tending to form at intermediate values of sediment availability with intermediate grain sizes.

Colorado↗

USGS2020

The influence of frost weathering on the debris flow sediment supply in an alpine basin

Rocky, alpine mountains are prone to mass wasting from debris flows. The Chalk Cliffs study area (central Colorado, USA) produces debris flows annually. These debris flows are triggered when overland flow driven by intense summer convective storms mobilizes large volumes of sediment within the channel network. Understanding the debris flow hazard in this, and similar alpine settings, requires determining the magnitude of sed- iment accumulation between debris flow seasons, and identifying the control on sediment production. To address these knowledge gaps, we measured changes in sediment produc- tion using a sediment retention fence to quantify how sedimentation was influenced by temperature at the plot scale. These measurements were extrapolated to a larger area, where we extended the sediment fence results to explore how rockfall sedimentation con- tributed to channel refilling between active debris flow periods. This work shows debris flow channel refilling is correlated with low temperatures and time in the frost-cracking window, implicating frost weathering mechanisms as a key driver of sedimentation. This sediment production process resulted in a large amount of sediment accumulation dur- ing a single winter season in our study reach (up to 0.4 m in some locations). Using these observations, we develop a channel refilling model that generally describes the mass bal- ance of debris flow watersheds in alpine areas.

Colorado↗

USGS2020

Thresholds for post-wildfire debris flows: Insights from the Pinal Fire, Arizona, USA

Wildfire significantly alters the hydrologic properties of a burned area, leading to increases in overland flow, erosion, and the potential for runoff-generated debris flows. The initiation of debris flows in recently burned areas is well-characterized by rainfall intensity-duration (ID) thresholds. However, there is currently a paucity of data quantifying the rainfall intensities required to trigger post-wildfire debris flows, which limits our understanding of how and why rainfall ID thresholds vary in different climatic and geologic settings. In this study, we monitored debris-flow activity following the Pinal Fire in central Arizona, which differs from both a climatic and hydrogeomorphic perspective from other regions in the western U.S. where ID thresholds for post-wildfire debris flows are well-established, namely the Transverse Ranges of southern CA. Since the peak rainfall intensity within a rainstorm may exceed the rainfall intensity required to trigger a debris flow, the development of robust rainfall ID thresholds requires knowledge of the timing of debris flows within rainstorms. Existing post-wildfire debris-flow studies in Arizona only constrain the peak rainfall intensity within debris-flow-producing storms, which may far exceed the intensity that actually triggered the observed debris flow. In this study, we used pressure transducers within 5 burned drainage basins to constrain the timing of debris flows within rainstorms. Rainfall ID thresholds derived here from triggering rainfall intensities are, on average, 22 mm/h lower than ID thresholds derived under the assumption that the triggering intensity is equal to the maximum rainfall intensity recorded during a rainstorm. We then use a hydrologic model to demonstrate that the magnitude of the 15-minute rainfall ID threshold at the Pinal Fire site is associated with the rainfall intensity required to exceed a recently proposed dimensionless discharge threshold for debris-flow initiation. Model results further suggest that previously observed differences in regional ID thresholds between Arizona and the San Gabriel Mountains of southern CA may be attributed, in large part, to differences in the hydraulic properties of burned soils.

Arizona↗

USGS2020

The recurrence interval of post-fire debris-flow generating rainfall in the southwestern United States

In the southwestern United States, post-fire debris flows commonly initiate during short bursts of intense rainfall. To date, the frequency of the rainfall rates has not been quantified. Here, we combine an existing database of debris-flow occurrences and corresponding peak storm intensities with a geospatial library of rainfall recurrence interval (RI) information and climate type to determine the distribution of the estimated frequencies of the rainfall associated with 316 observed post-fire debris flows in the southwestern United States. Our results indicate that a majority (77%) of the observed debris flows were triggered by rainfall intensities with RI less than 2 years. Climatic and geographic differences in RI were evident in our analysis. Debris flows in most of the analyzed climates within California, Colorado, and New Mexico were primarily associated with 1-year or less RI intensities, whereas debris flows in arid portions of Arizona, Colorado, and Utah tended to be generated during storms greater than 2-year RI. Event consequence, as defined by the impact on downstream communities and infrastructure, was not directly related to RI, as very destructive debris flows were initiated at a wide range of RI intensities. Our results highlight that post-fire debris-flow initiation can be expected during common rainstorms in the southwestern United States, therefore emergency management plans and risk mitigation efforts must focus on both extreme and frequent rainstorms.

Arizona, California, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico,↗

USGS2019

Developing and testing physically based triggering thresholds for runoff‐generated debris flows

Runoff in steep channels is capable of transitioning into debris flows with hazardous implications for downstream communities and infrastructure, particularly in alpine landscapes with minimal vegetation and areas recently disturbed by wildfire. Here, we derive thresholds for the initiation of runoff‐generated debris flows based on critical values of dimensionless discharge and Shields stress. These thresholds are derived by using a numerical model to estimate the hydrodynamic conditions coinciding with the timing of debris flow activity in a recently burned basin. A benefit of hydrodynamic thresholds is that they can be used to assess debris flow likelihood based on measurable hydrologic and geomorphic parameters and therefore provide more universal criteria for quantifying the runoff‐to‐debris flow transition in landscape evolution studies and hazard assessments. We then demonstrate how hydrodynamic thresholds can be used to estimate rainfall intensity‐duration thresholds for runoff‐generated debris flows without the need for historic debris flow observations.

California↗

USGS2019

Inundation, flow dynamics, and damage in the 9 January 2018 Montecito Debris-Flow Event, California, USA: Opportunities and challenges for post-wildfire risk assessment

Shortly before the beginning of the winter rainy season, one of the largest fires in California history (Thomas Fire) substantially increased the susceptibility of steep slopes in Santa Barbara and Ventura Counties to debris flows. On January 9, 2018, before the fire was fully contained, an intense burst of rain fell on the portion of the burn area above Montecito, CA. The rainfall and associated runoff triggered a series of debris flows that mobilized approximately 680,000 m3 of sediment (including boulders >4 m) at velocities up to 4 m/s down urbanized alluvial fans. The resulting destruction (including 23 fatalities, at least 167 injuries, and 408 damaged homes) underscores the need for improved understanding of debris-flow runout in the built environment, and the need for a comprehensive framework to assess the potential loss from debris flows following wildfire. We present observations of the inundation, debris-flow dynamics, and damage from the event. The data include field measurements of flow depth and deposit characteristics made 12 days after the event (before ephemeral features of the deposits were lost to recovery operations); an inventory of building damage; estimates of flow velocity; information on flow timing; soil-hydrologic properties; and post-event imagery and lidar. Together, these data provide rare spatial and dynamic constraints for testing debris-flow runout models, which are needed for advancing post-fire debris-flow hazard assessments. Our analysis also outlines a framework for translating the results of these models into estimates of economic loss based on an adaptation of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Hazus model for tsunamis.

California↗

USGS2019

Landslides triggered by Hurricane Maria: Assessment of an extreme event in Puerto Rico

Hurricane Maria hit the island of Puerto Rico on 20 September 2017 and triggered more than 40,000 landslides in at least three-fourths of Puerto Rico’s 78 municipalities. The number of landslides that occurred during this event was two orders of magnitude greater than those reported from previous hurricanes. Landslide source areas were commonly limited to surficial soils but also extended into underlying saprolite and bedrock. Slope failures occurred before, during, and after flooding, and many transitioned into long runout debris flows. Steep slopes in hilly and mountainous regions were particularly impacted by landslides due to antecedent soil moisture levels that were 11%–13% higher than average and rainfall totals of at least 250 mm within a 48 h period. High landslide densities were especially widespread across some geologic formations (e.g., granodiorite of the Utuado batholith); however, bedrock geology alone did not determine the location and distribution of landslides caused by Hurricane Maria. While rainfall data collected during Hurricane Maria were inconsistent, satellite-based soil moisture data were correlated with the distribution of landslides. In the future, the use of soil moisture data could enable assessments of regional landslide susceptibility prior to hurricanes or extreme precipitation events.

GSA Today↗

USGS2019

Conceptual framework for assessing disturbance impacts on debris-flow initiation thresholds across hydroclimatic settings

The destructive and deadly nature of debris flows has motivated research into empirical rainfall thresholds to provide situational awareness, inform early warning systems, and reduce loss of life and property. Disturbances such as wildfire and land-cover change can influence the hydrological processes of infiltration and runoff generation; in steep terrain this typically lowers empirical thresholds for debris-flow initiation. However, disturbance impacts, and the post-disturbance recovery may differ, depending on the severity, nature, extent, and duration of the disturbance, as well as on the prevailing hydroclimatic conditions. Thus, it can be difficult to predict impacts on debris-flows hazards in regions where historically such disturbances have been less frequent or severe. Given the increasing magnitude and incidence of wildfires, among other disturbances, we seek to develop a conceptual framework for assessing their impacts on debris-flow hazards across geographic regions. We characterize the severity of disturbances in terms of changes from undisturbed hydrologic functioning, including hillslope drainage and available unsaturated storage capacity, which can have contrasting influences on debris-flow initiation mechanisms in different hydroclimatic settings. We compare the timescale of disturbance-recovery cycles relative to the return period of threshold exceeding storms to describe vulnerability to post-disturbance debris flows. Similarly, we quantify resilience by comparing the timescales of disturbance-recovery cycles with those of disturbance-recurrence intervals. We illustrate the utility of these concepts using information from U.S. Geological Survey landslide monitoring sites in burned and unburned areas across the United States. Increasing severity of disturbance may influence both recovery timescales and lower the return period for debris-flow inducing storms, thus increasing the vulnerability to disturbance-related hazards while also decreasing system resilience. The proposed conceptual framework can inform future data acquisition and model development to improve debris-flow initiation thresholds in areas experiencing increasingly frequent, severe, and even overlapping landscape disturbances.

Conference Paper↗

USGS2019

Real-time monitoring of debris-flow velocity and mass deformation from field experiments with high sample rate lidar and video

Debris flows evolve in both time and space in complex ways, commonly starting as coherent failures but then quickly developing structures such as roll waves and surges. This process is readily observed, but difficult to study or quantify because of the speed at which it occurs. Many methods for studying debris flows consist of point measurements (e.g., of flow height or basal stresses), which are inherently limited in spatial coverage and fail to fully capture the spatiotemporal evolution of a flow. In this study, we use a terrestrial lidar to measure debris-flow profiles at high sample rates to examine debris-flow movement with high temporal and spatial precision and accuracy. We acquired measurements during gate-release experiments at the USGS debris flume, a unique experimental facility where debris flows can be simulated at a large scale. In this study, the laser scanner was placed at the bottom of the steep flume and recorded topography of the entire flume bed and debris flow at a rate of 60 Hz along a very narrow profile (~1mm in width), providing a detailed, two-dimensional cross-section of the debris flow through time. The high-resolution profiles enable us to quantify flow front and surge velocities of the debris flow and provide an unprecedented record of the development and evolution of the flow structure over time. The profiles also preserve a record of the highly variable deposition pattern of the debris flow on a downstream fan with a time resolution of hundredths of a second. In addition, video imagery from the experiment was used to track debris flow movement through time. By acquiring high-resolution topographic data and video imagery during a controlled experiment, we have been able to obtain unusually complete quantitative measurements of debris-flow movement. Such measurements may help constrain future modeling efforts.

Conference Paper↗

USGS2019

Overcoming barriers to progress in seismic monitoring and characterization of debris flows and lahars

Debris flows generate seismic signals that contain valuable information about events as they unfold. Though seismic waves have been used for along-channel debris-flow and lahar monitoring systems for decades, it has proven difficult to move beyond detection to more quantitative characterizations of flow parameters and event size. This is for two primary reasons: (1) our limited understanding of how the radiated wavefield relates to debris flow characteristics and dynamics, and (2) difficulties quantifying the effects of heterogeneous shallow earth structure on the observed wavefield. The latter issue, essentially our inability to sufficiently separate seismic path effects from source information, is a barrier to improving our understanding of the first issue. We review the progress that has been made toward establishing the theory, models and methods required to use seismic observations to make quantitative measurements of flows and summarize the practical, social, and scientific barriers to progress. We discuss some specific ongoing efforts to overcome some of these barriers, with a focus on how we are using large-scale seismic experiments at the U.S. Geological Survey debris-flow flume to develop methods for directly measuring path effects and to develop and validate theoretical debris flow seismicity models.

Conference Paper↗

USGS2019

Looking through the window of disturbance at post-wildfire debris-flow hazards

The extreme heat from wildfire alters soil properties and incinerates vegetation, leading to changes in infiltration capacity, ground cover, soil erodibility, and rainfall interception. These changes promote increases in runoff and sediment transport that increase the likelihood of runoff-generated debris flows. Over a period of several years, referred to as the window of disturbance, the landscape recovers and wildfire-induced changes become less accentuated. Debris flows are most common in the year immediately following wildfire, but changes in the likelihood and magnitude of debris flows throughout the window of disturbance are not well constrained. Assessing debris-flow hazards throughout the post-wildfire recovery period is complicated, in part, by the myriad of wildfire-induced changes and their nonlinear relationships with sediment transport and runoff generation processes. In this study, we combine measurements of soil hydraulic properties with vegetation survey data and numerical modeling to understand how debris-flow threats are likely to change in steep, burned basins during the first two years of recovery. We focus on documenting recovery following the 2016 Fish Fire in the San Gabriel Mountains, CA, USA and demonstrate how a numerical model can be used to predict temporal changes in debris-flow properties and initiation thresholds within that region. Substantial increases in sorptivity, which represents the capillarity contribution to infiltration, and reductions in the percentage of bare soil occurred during the first 18 months following the Fish Fire. Numerical modeling suggests that these changes lead to a roughly 40% increase in the 15-minute rainfall intensity-duration threshold associated with debris-flow initiation as well as more than a three-fold decrease in debris-flow volume from post-fire year 1 to post-fire year 2. These results provide valuable constraints on changes in debris-flow thresholds within the San Gabriel Mountains as well as a general framework for exploring the impact of changing vegetation and soil hydraulic properties on debris-flow magnitude and susceptibility.

California↗

USGS2019

Topographic change detection at Chalk Cliffs, Colorado, USA, using Airborne LiDAR and UAS-based Structure-from-Motion photogrammetry

The Chalk Cliffs debris-flow site is a small headwater catchment incised into highly fractured and hydrothermally altered quartz monzonite in a semi-arid climate. Over half of the extremely steep basin is exposed bedrock. Debris flows occur multiple times per year in response to rainstorm events, typically during the summer monsoon season. The frequency of debris flows, and the uniformity of the underlying rock, make Chalk Cliffs an ideal study catchment for translating mechanistic understanding of natural debris flows to other sites. A 2008 National Center for Airborne Laser Mapping (NCALM) Airborne LiDAR survey provides baseline topography for the site; however, heretofore there has been no systematic effort to collect repeat topography of the entire site. Starting in May 2018, we made repeat surveys of the basin with an unmanned aircraft system (UAS). The UAS-based imagery was processed into (x, y, z) point clouds using Structure-from-Motion (SfM) photogrammetry. We geo-registered the point clouds using 12 ground control points placed within and around the study basin. In this study we compare the LiDAR with one SfM point cloud to assess topographic change over a 10-year time period. The difference map provides observational data relevant to understanding sediment provenance and transport at the Chalk Cliffs. The difference image indicates erosion of colluvial surfaces, with limited deposition in the survey area. Some colluvial hillslopes show spatially uniform erosion while others experienced concentrated erosion of up to three meters depth over a ten-year period.

Colorado↗

USGS2019

Taking the pulse of debris flows: Extracting debris-flow dynamics from good vibrations in southern California and central Colorado

The destructive nature of debris flows makes it difficult to quantify flow dynamics with direct instrumentation. For this reason, seismic sensors placed safely away from the flow path are often used to identify the timing and speed of debris flows. While seismic sensors have proven to be a valuable tool for event detection and early warning, their potential for identifying other aspects of debris flows (such as sediment concentration) is less studied. Here we use two monitoring sites to investigate the extent to which debris-flow dynamics can be decoded from ground vibrations. One site is a bedrock channel in a steep semiarid basin in central Colorado (Chalk Cliffs), and the other is in a debris-flow channel incised in alluvium in a recently burned area in southern California (Van Tassel). At both sites, seismic data are measured with geophones (4.5 Hz) mounted next to the channels and sampled at high frequencies (500-1000 Hz). Independent constraints on flow dynamics are provided by laser distance meters to record flow stage (at 10 Hz) and high-definition video cameras to record flow velocity and sediment concentration. The observed debris flows at Chalk Cliffs typically consist of a series of short-duration (~30 second) surges with total durations of <40 minutes and have coarse-grained fronts and fluid-rich tails. In contrast, the events at Van Tassel are longer duration flows (>40 minutes) that begin as debris flows and transform into more steady debris floods. The arrangement of sensors at both sites allow us to identify correlations between vertical ground velocity, frequency, flow stage, and qualitative estimates of sediment concentration.

California, Colorado↗

USGS2019

Post-fire rockfall and debris-flow hazard zonation in the Eagle Creek Fire burn area, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon: a tool for emergency managers and first responders

The Eagle Creek Fire engulfed 48,832 acres (196 km2) within the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon beginning September 2nd and was 100% contained by November 30th, 2017. The Columbia River Gorge area is steep and heavily forested characterized by cliffs and flanking talus slopes, receiving > 100 inches (> 254 cm) of precipitation annually. The Columbia River Gorge is a critical lifeline for Oregon and Washington, including interstate highway 84 (I-84) and state route 14 (SR-14), commercial train lines, freight traffic, major pipelines, shipping corridor, 1,000s of permanent residents, tourists and motorists, and major hydroelectric dams. Before the Eagle Creek Fire, there was significant landslide and debris-flow hazard. More than 80 landslides have been recorded in the Gorge during the last ~100 years, with 58 of these recorded in the exceptionally wet and stormy winters of 1996 and 1997. Several of these landslides damaged property and temporarily closed I-84, train and ship traffic. There is some uncertainty on the degree to which the fire will enhance debris-flow susceptibility, because the climate, terrain and geology is different from the regions where most post-fire debris-flow research has been conducted. A large portion of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, including popular hiking trails, remain closed 18 months after the fire, with the Historic Columbia River Highway opened 14 months after the fire. In the aftermath of the Eagle Creek Fire, emergency managers and first responders identified a critical need for a post-fire landslide response plan and hazard map. The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT), the Oregon Department of Geology and Mineral Industries (DOGAMI), and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) participated in the creation of the plan including making a landslide hazard map specific to their outlook, which includes swift decision making during emergencies such as landslide or flood events. This paper presents a perspective of post-fire debris flow-hazard response and assessment from the Eagle Creek burn area in the Columbia River Gorge, Oregon.

Oregon↗

USGS2019

A 4000-year history of debris flows in north-central Washington State, U.S.A.: Preliminary results from trenching and surficial geologic mapping at the Pope Creek fan

Long-term records of the magnitude and frequency of debris flows on fans are rare, but such records provide critical information needed for debris-flow hazard and risk assessments. This study explores the history of debris flows on a fan with seasonally inhabited cabins at Pope Creek along the Entiat River about 48 km upstream from the town of Entiat, Washington. Motivation for this study was provided by the Duncan Fire, a wildfire which burned the Pope Creek basin in 2014 and resulted in debris flows and water-dominated floods on the fan between August 2014 and October 2016. We excavated and mapped seven 6-m long (2.4 m deep) trenches, mapped deposits on the surface of the fan, and constrained the ages of deposits using radiocarbon dating and the computer program OxCal. Preliminary results indicate that there have been at least 10 debris-flow events (DFEs) since 4000 cal yr BP. The mean recurrence interval between events was 433 +/-44 years, but intervals range from 724 to 20 years. The four most recent events have the shortest recurrence intervals. The largest event had an estimated sediment volume of 97,000 m3 and occurred at about 285 cal yr BP (1665 AD) during the Little Ice Age. The most recent debris-flow event that was triggered by rainstorms following the Duncan Fire was about 8x smaller than the largest event. These results may indicate that the largest DFE was triggered by an exceptional meteorological event that occurred during a cool, wet time, and that smaller DFEs were triggered by less exceptional meteorological events that occurred following wildfires.

Washington↗

USGS2019

Exploring controls on debris-flow surge velocity and peak discharge at Chalk Cliffs, Colorado, USA

We present a series of debris-flow events and use combined sensor and video data to explore how sediment concentration and triggering rainfall intensity affect the velocity and discharge of debris-flow surges generated by surface-water runoff. We analyze an initial data set of 49 surges from four debris-flow events recorded by a monitoring system at Chalk Cliffs, Colorado and compare measurements of surge height, velocity, peak discharge, triggering rainfall intensity, and qualitative estimates of sediment concentration. Measurements of sediment concentration and velocity were obtained using an automated camera system with a high resolution and frame rate. We find that the triggering rainfall intensity of the debris flows, which affects the sediment-to-water ratio, is a strong control on surge velocity and peak discharge. While surges with high and low sediment concentrations both exceed the peak discharge of water-only flow, fluid-rich surges generated by high rainfall intensities have much greater velocities and peak discharges than sediment-rich surges generated by lower rainfall intensities. These observations suggest that rainfall intensity may be an important predictive variable in empirical relationships for estimating the velocity and peak discharge of runoff generated debris flows, which are common in alpine areas and burned steeplands.

Colorado↗