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- Title
Geomorphic effects of large debris flows on channel morphology at North Fork Mountain, eastern West Virginia, USA
- Authors
Cenderelli, D. A.; Kite, J. S.
- Abstract
Extreme rainfall in June 1949 and November 1985 triggered numerous large debris flows on the steep slopes of North Fork Mountain, easternWest Virginia. Detailed mapping at four sites and field observationsof several others indicate that the debris flows began in steep hillslope hollows, propagated downslope through the channel system, eroded channel sediment, produced complex distributions of deposits in lower gradient channels, and delivered sediment to floodwaters beyond the debris-flow termini. Based on the distribution of deposits and eroded surfaces, up to four zones were identified with each debris flow: an upper failure zone, a middle transport/erosion zone, a lower deposition zone, and a sediment-laden floodwater zone immediately downstream from the debris-flow terminus. Geomorphic effects of the debris flows in these zones are spatially variable. The initiation of debris flows in the failure zones and passage through the transport/erosion zones are characterized by degradation; 2300 to 17 000 m3 of sediment was eroded from these zones. The total volume of channel erosion in the transport/erosion zones was 1.3 to 1.5 times greater than the total volume of sediment that initially failed, indicating that the debris flows were effective erosive agents as they travelled through the transport/erosion zones. The overall response in the deposition zones was aggradation. However, up to 43 per cent of the sediment delivered to these zones was eroded by floodwaters from joining tributaries immediately after debris-flow deposition. This sediment was incorporated into floodwaters downstream from the debris-flow terminicausing considerable erosion and deposition in these channels.
- Subjects
EROSION; GEOMORPHOLOGY
- Publication
Earth Surface Processes & Landforms, 1998, Vol 23, Issue 1, p1
- ISSN
0197-9337
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1002/(SICI)1096-9837(199801)23:1<1::AID-ESP814>3.0.CO;2-3