Published

2016-04-01

Case Study of the Characteristics and Dynamic Process of July 10, 2013, Catastrophic Debris Flows in Wenchuan County, China

Keywords:

Debris flow, dynamic process, the block and burst characteristics, prevention and cure measures, flujo de detritos, procesos dinámicos, características de bloqueo y ruptura, medidas de prevención. (en)

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Authors

  • Guisheng Hu Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences
  • Ningsheng Chen Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences
  • Javed Iqbal Tanoli Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences
  • Yong You Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences
  • Jun Li Institute of Mountain Hazards and Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences

The Wenchuan earthquake of May 12, 2008, generated a significant amount of loose solid material that can produce devastating debris flows. In the five years since the earthquake, there have been many large-scale individual and group catastrophic debris flows that have caused lots of damage to the resettled population and the reconstruction efforts. The reconstructed towns of Yingxiu, Yinxing and Miansi have suffered debris flows and other secondary disasters in the past five years and are still not out of danger in the future. A debris-flow catastrophic event hit four towns of Wenchuan County along the Duwen Highway, part of China’s National Highway 213, at midnight on July 10, 2013, following a local extreme rainfall of 176.2mm 24h-1. The debris flows occurred simultaneously along seven gullies. A total of 15000 people were affected due to the destruction of resettlement areas, factories, power stations, and houses. Because of this devastating event, traffic along the Duwen highway was completely disrupted during the disaster and recovery period. The present study focuses on the Lianshan Bridge debris flow gully; the disaster characteristics and cause of the debris flow were analyzed based on field investigations, remote sensing interpretation, and laboratory experiments. The particular dynamic parameters of the debris flow were calculated and analyzed including density, velocity, discharge, total volume and impact force. Also, the dynamic processes and changes that occurred in the debris flow were examined, and the block and burst characteristics of debris flow were studied based on statistical calculation and analysis dynamic characteristic parameters of debris flow. Finally, a program to prevent further debris flow was proposed according to the on-site investigation and based on the analysis of the features and dynamic processes of the debris flow. 

 

Resumen

El terremoto de Wenchuan, el 12 de mayo de 2008, generó una gran cantidad de material sólido suelto que puede producir flujos de detritos devastadores. En los años posteriores al terremoto han ocurrido deslizamientos a gran escala individuales y simultáneos que han causado daño a los habitantes reubicados y a los esfuerzos de reconstrucción. Las ciudades reconstruidas de Yingxiu, Yinxing y Miansi han sufrido flujos de detritos y otros desastres secundarios desde el terremoto, y no están exentas de eventos futuros. Un evento simultáneo de flujo de detritos afectó a cuatro localidades del condado de Wenchuan, a lo largo de la autopista de Duwen, parte de la carretera nacional 213, en la medianoche del 10 de julio de 2013, después de una lluvia extrema de 176,2 mm 24h-1. Los movimientos de detritos ocurrieron en siete pendientes. Un total de 1500 personas resultaron afectadas debido a la destrucción en áreas de reasentamiento, fábricas, estaciones eléctricas y viviendas. Debido a este devastador hecho, el tráfico de la autopista Duwen estuvo interrumpido durante el período del desastre y mientras se recuperaba la zona. Este estudio se enfoca en el deslizamiento del Puente Lianshan, donde se analizaron las características y las causas del flujo de detritos basados en investigaciones de campo, interpretación de detección remota y experimentos de laboratorio. Se calcularon y analizaron los parámetros dinámicos particulares del flujo de detritos como la densidad, velocidad, descarga, volumen total y fuerza de impacto. También se analizaron los procesos dinámicos y los cambios que ocurrieron en el flujo de detritos, al igual que se estudiaron las características de bloqueo y ruptura del flujo con base en cálculos estadísticos y análisis de los parámetros dinámicos característicos. Finalmente, se propone un programa para prevenir mayores movimientos de detritos de acuerdo con la investigación de campo y basado en los análisis de las características y procesos dinámicos del flujo de material sólido suelto. 

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