Phoenix debris-flow hazard assessment : house location matters

Auteur(s) et Affiliation(s)



Description :
This paper presents an initial study testing the hypothesis that debris-flow volume and run-out lengths in the Ma Ha Tuak Range have declined substantially since the end of the last ice age. The AA. used a mix of field and geospatial methods to estimate volume, and the varnish microlamination technique to estimate minimum ages of debris deposits. Estimates of debris-flow volumes show a drop of more than 2 orders of magnitude from latest Pleistocene to 20th century or Little Ice Age. In contrast, a catchment above houses in the Gila Range, South Mountain, where houses were built very close to the debris-flow source area, reveals an increase in debris-flow magnitude over time. These contrasting findings emphasize the importance of the location of home sites with respect to the debris-flow system in the type of small desert mountain catchments that interface with the sprawling urbanism found in Southwestern USA deserts.


Type de document :
Article de périodique

Source :
Physical geography, issn : 0272-3646, 2012, vol. 33, n°. 6, p. 491-513, nombre de pages : 23, Références bibliographiques : 31 ref.

Date :
2012

Editeur :
Pays édition : Royaume-Uni, Abingdon, Taylor and Francis