The 1987 debris flows in Switzerland: documentation and analysis

Rickenmann, Dieter; Zimmermann, Markus N. (1993). The 1987 debris flows in Switzerland: documentation and analysis. Geomorphology, 8(2-3), pp. 175-189. Elsevier Science 10.1016/0169-555X(93)90036-2

Full text not available from this repository. (Request a copy)

A great number of debris flows occurred during the flood catastrophes of the summer of 1987 in the Swiss Alps. Aerial photography, field investigations and eyewitness accounts documented and analysed the events. As an example of the reconstructed major events, the large debris flow in the Varuna valley involved an estimated peak discharge between 400 and 800 m3/s and an event magnitude of 200,000 m3. Several single pulses were observed; the duration of each of them appeared to be not more than a few minutes. Apart from incision into weak bedrock, the maximum erosion depth seemed to depend on the channel gradient. Based on approximately 600 events, typical starting zones and rainfall conditions are discussed with regard to the triggering conditions. Existing and new empirical formulae are proposed to estimate the most important flow parameters. These values are compared to debris flow data from Canada and Japan.

Item Type:

Journal Article (Original Article)

Division/Institute:

08 Faculty of Science > Institute of Geography > Physical Geography > Unit Geomorphology

UniBE Contributor:

Zimmermann, Markus

Subjects:

500 Science > 550 Earth sciences & geology

ISSN:

0169-555X

Publisher:

Elsevier Science

Language:

English

Submitter:

Silvia Käser

Date Deposited:

04 Nov 2015 14:25

Last Modified:

05 Dec 2022 14:49

Publisher DOI:

10.1016/0169-555X(93)90036-2

URI:

https://boris.unibe.ch/id/eprint/72499

Actions (login required)

Edit item Edit item
Provide Feedback