Publication Date:
2000-10-01
Description:
On 11 July 1997 a very large debris flow occurred at Hummingbird Creek, Mara Lake, British Columbia. Long-term antecedent precipitation was record breaking, whereas short-term precipitation at Salmon Arm did not exceed the 2 year return period for intensity. A 25 000 m3 debris avalanche was initiated downstream of a forest road culvert, which drained a small catchment that had been artificially increased by a factor of three. The debris avalanche entered the channel of Hummingbird Creek and triggered a debris flow. Velocities were back-calculated using the forced vortex equation and multiplied by the cross-sectional area to obtain peak discharge estimates that ranged from 600 to 1000 m3/s. Approximately 92 000 m3 of sediment was deposited during this event, which makes it the largest nonvolcanic debris flow recorded in British Columbia to date. A three-dimensional runout model was used to simulate this event. Results are in fair agreement with the observed behaviour. This study emphasizes the need to carefully manage forest resources with high downstream risks and the need for hazard assessments prior to development on alluvial fans.Key words: debris avalanche, debris flow, DAN model, hydroclimatic, peak discharge, British Columbia.
Print ISSN:
0008-3674
Electronic ISSN:
1208-6010
Topics:
Geosciences
